Holy Redeemer Parish
P.O. Box 1108  A2H 6T2

Sacraments - Holy Eucharist

First Communion

In preparing children for admission to Eucharistic Communion we are not just preparing them for “first” Communion; we are preparing them for the full celebration of the Eucharist (Mass) every Sunday. It follows then, as is stated in the diocesan guidelines on the Admission of Children to Eucharistic Communion, “the most vital element in the preparation of children who will be admitted to Eucharistic Communion is their regular participation in the Sunday Eucharist...this is truly indispensable since it is only in this context that Communion has its full meaning. No amount of catechesis or other preparation, however excellent, can replace it. The admission of children to Communion without the regular experience of participation in the Sunday Eucharistic celebration is clearly illogical.” In other words it only makes sense to prepare children for Communion if they are already celebrating Mass on a regular basis. For parents to ask that their children receive Communion when they are not participating in the Mass is to misunderstand the meaning of the sacraments. The most important preparation parents can make to admit their child to Eucharistic Communion is to be participating regularly with them in the Mass. Catechetics and a living witness to the faith go hand in hand.

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