“The Eucharist is everything.” – St. Peter Julian Eymard
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.” The other sacraments 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.
In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist “the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained”. (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1323-74; Luke 22:7-20; Matthew 26:17-29; Mark 14:12-25; John 6; 1st Corinthians 10:16-21, 11:23-29)
First Holy Communion
The Prerequisites for children preparing for their first communion include:
- Baptism
- First Reconciliation Preparation
- Weekly attendance at Mass
- Completion of parish or parish school religious education program the year prior and the year of sacrament preparation. Preparation normally begins in 2nd grade. The process involves a regular attendance of religion class and attendance at a parent/child retreat.
First Eucharist Celebrations usually occur in early May. For more information, contact the Betsy Koval, Director of Faith Formation.
Adults who have never received their First Holy Communion would typically prepare for this Sacrament through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Please contact Betsy Koval, Director of Faith Formation.