Sacrament of Holy Communion
The Greek word for celebrating Mass and also what we receive in Holy Communion is the “Eucharist” which means thanksgiving or to give thanks.  By analogy, when we gather together as a parish family on Sunday, it is a lot like gathering with your extended family on Thanksgiving Day.  The place where you gather on Thanksgiving Day is specially decorated, special food is prepared and shared, stories are shared, and prayer is offered.  The Eucharist is truly our “parish center”, all week long we are preparing to gather on Saturday evening or Sunday, and everything we do after Mass for the coming week should flow from this same celebration and reception of Holy Communion.  There is a special grace that God offers us only through the reception of his Sacrament of the Eucharist.  We believe that in the Eucharist we are receiving, as Jesus promised us at the Last Supper, His Body and His Blood.

In addition to classroom instruction, the parish will assist you in preparation for your child’s First Communion as well as a lifetime of receiving the Eucharist by offering a Parent’s night, where you will be provided some updates on the Church’s teachings about the sacrament as well as materials to better prepare yourself and your family for celebrating the sacrament that is at the center of our Faith.  May this be a blessed time for you and your extended family through preparing and sharing your child’s First Communion and remembering your lifetime of sharing in the Eucharist, a foretaste of the Heavenly Banquet here on earth.