The Sacrament of First Communion

 The Church Teaches:

 "At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet 'in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.'"

 The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life."¹³⁴ "The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch."

 Requirements:

 “For the administration of the Most Holy Eucharist to children, it is required that they have sufficient knowledge and careful preparation so as to understand the mystery of Christ according to their capacity and can receive the Body of the Lord with faith and devotion.”

 “It is the responsibility, in the first place, of parents and those who take the place of parents as well as of the pastor to see that children who have reached the use of reason are correctly prepared and are nourished by the divine food as early as possible, preceded by sacramental confession; it is also for the pastor to be vigilant lest any children come to the Holy Banquet who have not reached the use of reason or whom he judges are not sufficiently disposed.”

 You must register with the parish.

• The candidate must be validly baptized as recognized by the Catholic Church.

• Enroll your child in religious education class to be prepared for the sacrament of First Communion. If over 18 a person would sign up for an RCIA class.

Preparation: 

Normally, preparation for First Holy Communion takes place during the second-grade year. It is done separately but within the same classroom structure as the preparation for First Reconciliation which is celebrated prior to First Holy Communion.

The preparation we provide includes:

• A solid understanding of the Eucharist both as sacrifice and meal.
• Reflection on the Eucharist from Scripture and Church teaching.
• Instruction on the proper reception of Holy Communion.
• Inspiration, appreciation and love for the Eucharist and particularly Holy Communion as a means of vital union with Christ and the Church and strength for Christ-like living.

 For more information concerning First Communion prep and enrollment click here. Or contact Michal Anne Gillg at 913-248-4581, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.