First Holy Communion

First – the start of something, the beginning of a process.

Holy Communion – the celebration of Eucharist that is central to the Catholic faith. We believe that Jesus Christ is fully and completely present with us when we gather around the table at Eucharist. First Holy Communion is the moment when your child is considered mature enough to join with his/her family in receiving the consecrated bread and wine of Eucharist. This is the beginning of a new way of life, of a way of praying with the faith community, and of a source of strength for your child for the rest of their life.

Preparation for First Holy Communion

Not only is it an important year in the life of your child, it is also an important year for your child’s class,  for his/her teachers, and also for your family.

It is also a special time too for the parish community. Your child’s faith journey began the day you brought your child to the Church to be baptised. What a special day that was for you and the family! Now, that child has grown, they are about to take another step in their faith journey, as they prepare for First Holy Communion. And we all have a part to play.

While the Home is the primary learning place, each parent/guardian will be asked to take on a special role over the next few months, to journey with your child as they prepare to receive the sacraments, as there is only so much that can be taught in school. Our teachers do a wonderful job in preparing the children for their special day, but ‘home is where the heart is’. And the home is the domestic Church, where our children are influenced by what they see and learn.

As part of our preparation for First Penance and First Holy Communion, we run in tandem a parish based programme, ‘Do this in Memory’. This programme is a continuous programme, connecting the classroom with the home and the parish. As part of the programme, there is an Information Night, (where we meet the parents), an Enrolment Ceremony for you and your child, and there are four Sundays set aside where you and your child will have some participation in the Sunday Mass. It is also hoped that you and your child will frequent mass regularly as your child prepares for this special day.