St. John Vianney Catholic Church First Communion Handbook 2015-2016
Important First Communion Information ALL Parents/Guardians are required to attend a First Holy Communion Practice on Wednesday, April 6th at your child s regular Religious Education class time. 4:15 class parents should meet in the Social Hall at 5:00 pm, and 6:15 pm class parents as well as children who are homeschooled for their religious education, should meet in the Social Hall at 7:00 pm. Please arrive on time, as there is a lot to practice. Second Grade Children who attend the 4:15 Religious Ed class will receive the sacrament at 9:30 am Mass on April 10 th. Please be at Church at 8:45 am for pictures and to be organized for the procession into Church. Please meet in the Social Hall. Second Grade Children who attend the 6:15 Religious Ed class and children who are homeschooled will receive the sacrament at 11:30 am Mass on April 10 th. Please be at Church at 10:45 am for pictures and to be organized for the procession into Church. Please meet in the Social Hall. Children who are preparing in the Sunday Catch-up class will receive First Communion at the 6:15 pm mass on Wednesday, May 4 th. Attire for First Holy Communion: Girls should wear a dress that is modest (white is traditional, but is not mandatory). It may be sleeveless but never strapless. If it is cool that day, a white sweater may be in order. Veils are traditional but are not a requirement. White gloves may be worn, however your daughter must be reminded that if receiving on the hand, the gloves must be removed before coming forward. Boys must wear a white shirt with a neck or bowtie of a solid color, as well as slacks and shoes. They may wear a dark suit or sport coat if you choose to purchase them, however that is not required. Pictures: Formal pictures will be taken of the First Communicants individually as well as with their class. There will be opportunity after Mass to take pictures with Father Richard. All pictures taken during Mass MUST be taken from the pew, NOT in the aisle of the Church. NO FLASH Pictures may be taken during Mass. Please inform ALL guests of this! Due to time limitations, high number of children receiving First Communion, and little interest in previous years; we will NOT be providing a breakfast/reception at the church. The Social Hall will NOT be available after Masses for parties. First Communicants will sit with their parents ONLY in assigned seating in the front pews of church. Any siblings, grandparents, aunts/uncles & cousins MUST find seating in other pews in the Church. Parents, please make sure you make arrangements in advance if you have other children that will need supervision during Mass.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR FIRST EUCHARIST PARENTS By Janet Schaeffler, OP 1. Q. How do I know when my child is ready for First Eucharist? A. Readiness for first Eucharist is primarily an emotions and spiritual readiness; only incidentally is it an intellectual preparation. Church law presumes that children are ready when they: Have a desire to celebrate the sacrament Understand that when the bread and wine are brought to the altar and blessed, they are no longer ordinary bread and wine, but have become Jesus' Body and Blood for us. The child's readiness for first Eucharist comes from the experience of participating in the liturgy each week with his or her family rather than just attending a certain number of religion classes. 2. Q. I have heard that the Eucharist is about more than bread and wine being changed. What does that mean? A. The early leaders of the Church were concerned with what happens to the people who celebrate with bread and wine, how they live as a result of sharing the Body and Blood of Christ. Augustine advised Christians to Be what you see, receive what you are. Christians already are the Body of Christ. They become so in Baptism, but they must intensify their experience of the Body, living more and more the life of Christ. In the Eucharist, they receive the power to be bread broken and wine poured out for others. They love and live for others as Jesus did. Not only are the bread and wine changed, but we too can be changed. 3. Q. What shall I tell my child when he or she asks what the host tastes like and how to receive it? A. In class, the children will get the opportunity to find out the answers to these questions for themselves. They will taste unconsecrated hosts and they will practice receiving Holy Communion. So they will know exactly how the host tastes and how to receive it. 4. Q. It is all right to chew the host? A. Yes, it is. Jesus said, Take and eat. 5. Q. What about the cup? Can my child receive from it? Does he or she have to? Is it important to receive from the cup? Isn't having everyone drink from the same cup dangerous? A. Your child can drink from the cup. Jesus said, Take and drink as well as Take and eat. The child does not have to drink, however. You have a choice. If your son or daughter has never tasted wine, you might want to let him or her taste it at home.
Yes, it is important to receive from the cup. Jesus invited us to remember Him through a meal, and that meal includes eating and drinking. Also, Jesus shared the cup at the Last Supper as the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you (Lk. 22:20). The wine is rich in symbolism. It is a sign of the blood that He shed on the cross for us. It is a sign of God s covenant with us, a pledge of His love sealed in the blood of his only Son. This covenant or pledge affirms God s love for us and His promise to save us from our sins. Wine should be pleasing to the taste, a delight, and thus a real experience of the words taste and see how good the Lord is. Wine is not something we drink alone. Shared, it becomes a bond of fellowship, a celebration, shared joy. The American Medical Association has responded to questions about possible health hazards when everyone drinks from the same cup of wine. The society has issued this statement: It is the position of the AMA that, as far as we know, there have been no cases of transmission of germs to communicants using a common cup. The alcoholic content of the wine plus the hygienic practice of wiping the cup and turning it to a new position for each communicant seems to remove any danger of disease. 6. Q. What about fasting? How long does my child have to fast before receiving the Eucharist? A. Children follow the same rules as adults. Church law currently states that the fast from food and beverage (water and medicine are allowed anytime) is one hour prior to Communion time (not Mass time). 7. Q. What should my child wear at the First Eucharist celebration? A. The answer to this, of course, depends upon local custom. Regardless of what the custom is, great care should be taken to help children realize that what they wear is not the most important aspect of the celebration. The focus of First Eucharist day (as at all Eucharistic liturgies) should be on your child s participating in the Mass rather than his or her clothes. 8. Q. How do we keep our child from getting the idea that picture taking, pretty clothes, and parties are what First Eucharist is all about? A. The answer to this depends a lot upon you. If parents focus their attention on these things, so will the children. The best way to overcome this problem is to spend more time on family prayer, Sunday worship, and faith-sharing than you do on shopping for clothes and party preparations. Share your own faith stories so that children will see that First Eucharist is only a beginning. Tell them what the Eucharist means to your life. Don t stress First Eucharist as a goal, or an end. The thing that makes First Eucharist special is that it is the first of many Eucharists for the rest of their lives. 9. Q. What about gifts for the First Eucharist child? A. A gift is one way of celebrating this special day. Here are some ideas for appropriate First Eucharist gifts. Children s Bibles
Books of children s prayers Classic children s books that share Christian values, e.g. Charlotte s Web, The Giving Tree, The Fall of Freddie the Leaf Books that develop the children s self-esteem Homemade books about the child s own life to date, with photos of important events and other memorabilia that they can keep and enjoy A book about the child s patron saint and/or the patron saint s medal A religious DVD A subscription to a children s magazine that is wholesome, creative, and challenging games that can be played by the family (a few companies today publish games of cooperation rather than games of competition) Gifts that start a family tradition, a tradition that the child can share as an adult with his or her own family, e.g. a You Are Special plate, a blessing cup to be shared at family celebration times, a tablecloth which all visitors sign Items for a prayer area in the child s room: Bible, table covering, candle, plant A personal letter to the child on the occasion of his or her First Eucharist (Write it on special paper. Or write a letter to Jesus about your child and give him/her a copy.) 10. Q. How can I explain Eucharist to my child? A. Children can begin to understand the Eucharist as a gift of love. You can tell them that Jesus loves us so much that He found His special way -- the offering and the sharing of the bread and wine of the Eucharist -- to be with us all the time. Often the words the Body and Blood of Christ can be confusing -- and even alarming to children. Many New Testament scholars tell us that in the minds of the people of Jesus time, the words were used to indicate the whole person, just as today we say body and soul or heart and soul to describe the giving of our whole selves, our entire being. In his Gospel, St. John used the words Bread of Life rather than body and blood to describe Jesus giving power for us. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Other Questions Often Asked by Parents 1. Q. Where in Omaha can I purchase First Eucharist gifts? A. These stores offer First Eucharist items: Cosgraves 8222 H Street Gloria Deo 13065 West Center Road Parables 11212 Chicago Circle Adoremus Books 2992 S 84 Street
2. Q. Where can I purchase First Eucharist dresses and/or veils? A. Department stores like Dillards, J.C. Penney, Von Maur and Younkers often carry these items. PREPARING FOR FIRST HOLY COMMUNION Some important points for your child to know: 1. God is the Creator of all things and of everyone. 2. God knows all things. He is great, powerful, and loves us at all times. 3. God our Father is a person who is like Jesus; strong, loving, kind, and gentle! 4. Jesus is the Father s only Son... Jesus became a human person like us in all things except sin. 5. Jesus was sent by the Father to free us from the power of sin and the devil. 6. Jesus died on the Cross on Good Friday so that we could live forever with Him. 7. Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday to give us new hope in His promise. 8. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit as our friend and guide. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of LOVE... love of the Father for the Son and for us. 9. God gave us new life in the Sacrament of Baptism when we were brought into the family of God. 10. God s life within us grows and becomes stronger when we pray and receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist. 11. Jesus gave us the gift of the Eucharist on the night before He died, at the Last Supper.
12. At Mass the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. 13. We receive the Living Body of Jesus in Holy Communion, under the form of bread and wine. 14. At Mass, Jesus speaks to us when we hear readings from the Bible. 15. The Mass is the greatest prayer for Catholic people; we hear the Word of God, and we receive Jesus in the Eucharist. 16. To help us be worthy to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, we receive God s loving forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. HOME ACTIVITIES FOR THE CHILD PREPARING FOR FIRST EUCHARIST 1. Work together as a family on the felt square project letting your child take the lead on ideas of what and how to decorate the square. Talk about the meaning of the symbols chosen. 2. If you have a children s New Testament, look it over with your child. Ask your child to tell you some of the stories of Jesus life. You can also use the religion text book. 3. Allow your child to set the table and help with serving. Draw attention to his/her help and mention that feeding another is a sign of our love and care. 4. Read the Gospel of Mark 6:34-44 and discuss. 5. Bake bread with your child. It would be a fine experience to allow a child to help you bake bread. Let the child get her or his hands into the dough at least once. Show her or him the rising dough. Have the child help put it in a pan and at dinner allow the child to serve the family with the bread. Perhaps you could have the child take a loaf to a neighbor or a friend. Carry through the idea that people make bread because they care for those who will eat it. 6. Write a special I love you note to your child and put it in with his/her lunch. 7. If there is a baby in your home let your child help feed the baby as a sign of love. 8. Have the children prepare a place mat for each member of the family. On it, he child would draw a fish and a loaf of bread and print the person s name. All the child needs to make a place mat is an oblong piece of paper and some crayons. Your child could also simply make name cards. Talk with her or him about the fact that Jesus fed the people. God feeds us because he loves us. 9. Have your child make hand-printed invitations to be sent or delivered to the people who will be present for the First Eucharist Mass.