The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is the completion of initiation into Christ and His Mystical Body, the Church. It is "the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries... 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"
CCC 3324
In Holy Communion, prepare to meet the Lord Jesus in this special sacrament. The Rite of Holy Communion celebrates the second step toward full initiation into the Church. First Holy Communion is most often celebrated around the age of seven or eight, when the children are of the age of reason and are capable of participating in the sacramental life of the Catholic Church. For First Holy Communion, you must go to the sacrament of Reconciliation before receiving Holy Communion. The Eucharist is a gift that takes a whole life time to understand; it is a gift that requires a response from us, that is why we must take care that our children are well prepared.
At your child’s Baptism you, the parents, were told that you “would be the first and best teachers of your children in the way of faith”. Parental involvement in the preparation of your child for First Holy Communion is paramount. The parish ‘helps’, but does not replace your part in the process of leading your children in the development of their faith, through the development and example of your own life. The best preparation for the Eucharist is taking your child to Mass regularly and helping your child understand what it is all about.
Catholics believe that Christ becomes "really present" in the Eucharist when a priest prays the Eucharistic Prayer "in the person of Christ." This is because Jesus Christ is truly God, and when God speaks, His Word is effective. bread and wine. When He says, "This is my Body... this is the Cup of my Blood," the substance of the bread and wine are transformed (transubstantiated) into the Body and Blood of Christ.
When Catholics receive Holy Communion, we are intimately united with Jesus Christ. We abide in Him and He abides in us (cf. John 15: 4). We are also expressing our union with all Catholics who believe the same doctrines, obey the same laws, and follow the same leaders. This sense of participation in a larger community is why Catholics (and Eastern Orthodox Christians) have a strict law that only people who are in communion with the Church can receive Holy Communion.
Adult Catholics may receive their First Communion whenever they are sufficiently prepared, with the approval of their parish pastor. They may receive Holy Communion at any Mass agreed upon by the pastor.
Adults who wish to convert to Roman Catholicism are usually prepared for First Communion through the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) which extends for 7-12 months. The Eucharist is typically offered to them after they receive Confirmation at the Easter Vigil or during the Easter season. If the convert has not received a Christian baptism, then they are first Baptized so as to receive all three Sacraments of Initiation during the same liturgy.
At Holy Name and St. Martin's, adults are prepared for any of the three Sacraments of Initiation during the
OCIA class on Tuesdays, 6:30-8:00 pm.
REQUIREMENTS
For first communion requirements, call the parish office. If you’d like to learn more about the Eucharist and why Catholics believe what they do, please check out our OCIA class which runs from September through April, and is open to Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
LEARN MORE
Holy Communion completes Christian initiation. Those who have been raised to the dignity of the royal priesthood by Baptism and configured more deeply to Christ by Confirmation participate with the whole community in the Lord’s own sacrifice by means of the Eucharist. – CCC 1322