EUCHARIST and FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

 

Preparation for First Holy Communion 

As part of our preparation for First Penance and First Holy Communion, we run a parish-based programme with our Parish Catechists. This programme is a continuous programme, connecting the classroom with the home and the parish. As part of this, there is an Information Night where the Parish Catechists meet the parents, an Enrolment Ceremony for you and your child, and there are some Saturday Vigil Masses set aside where you and your child will have some participation in the Mass. 

We encourage all parents and children who are preparing for First Holy Communion to attend Mass as a sign of your commitment to your child’s preparation for the sacrament. 

Not only is it an important year in the life of your child, it is also an important year for their class, their teachers, and also for you the parents/guardians. 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. And 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. 

 

Lay Led Liturgies 

In recent years a team of people have been trained and commissioned to lead a “Lay Led Liturgy” when a Priest is not available to say Mass.