
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION
The Eucharist is a fire that inflames us, that, like lions breathing fire, we may retire from the altar being made terrible to the devil.
- St. John Chrysostom
First Holy Communion is an incredibly special event in which our children encounter Jesus – body, blood, soul and divinity – for the first time. As Catholics we believe that the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian Faith, because it is through the Eucharist that Jesus gives us the grace to be His followers by giving us His very flesh to nourish us. First Communion is preceded by the Sacrament of Penance, also known as confession or reconciliation. In the Sacrament of Penance, our children learn the important connection of removing the sinful areas of our lives, thereby remaining in friendship with God, in order to receive Him worthily in Holy Communion. The 2nd grade classes of the parish and school will be prepared to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion at a scheduled Mass in the Spring of 2023.

WHAT WE ASK OF PARENTS
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Attend weekly Sunday Mass with your child.
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Please submit an official copy of you child’s baptismal certificate to the Church Office, unless the child was baptized at St. Joseph’s. If your child was baptized at St. Joseph we can verify baptism with our sacramental records.
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Make sure that your child faithfully attends First Communion formation (unless other arrangements have been made with the DRE).
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Help your child learn the prayers he/she is expected to know, such as the Hail Mary, Our Father, Glory Be, Act of Contrition.
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Registration fee of $55
Important
dates
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First Communion Parents’ Meeting: Monday, October 3, 2022 at 7 PM in the Family Life Center.
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First Communion Retreat: April 1, 2023, 9 AM - 12 PM.
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First Reconciliation: TBA in the Church
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First Communion Pictures by Harrington House Photography: TBA
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First Communion Mass: April 15th and April 22nd, more details forthcoming.

WHAT WE ASK OF CHILDREN
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Baptism in the Catholic Church.
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Weekly attendance of Sunday Mass with their families.
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Faithful attendance of First Communion formation, which takes place bimonthly on Sunday mornings from 10:45 AM - 12:00 PM. See calendar for dates.
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Mastery of the required prayers for First Communion: the Hail Mary, the Our Father, the Glory Be, the Act of Contrition.
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Completion of First Communion formation by attending the First Communion Retreat and First Reconciliation.