In the eyes of a small child, celebrating their First Holy Communion is a day they can remember wishing for forever! At least in their small world they think it’s been forever. Every week at Mass, watching mom and dad receiving Communion and they are being told that they must make their First Holy Communion first. So then, throughout second grade, in parochial school or CCD classes on weekends, they prepare for that special day when they will receive the Body and Blood of Jesus in the two species now offered at Mass. As the day approaches, they are so excited they can hardly contain themselves. If you have a child preparing for this sacred event, perhaps you’d like to have a hand in making it even more memorable for them, a day they will always remember.
1. Plan a First Holy Communion Party
One thing you can do is to plan a party for your child who is about to receive First Holy Communion. Whether you set it up at home or perhaps a local restaurant, you will want a few special religious favors that can be found at Holyart to put by each setting at the table.
2. Schedule Video Chats for Friends and Family Who Can’t Attend
Kids love the idea of a party for any reason whatsoever, but on this day, it will be all the more important to them. Unfortunately, some really close friends and family members won’t be able to attend, so why not set up a Zoom meeting so that they will have a chance to offer congratulations and share in this special day with the Communicant. Try not to leave anyone out, if at all possible, because this really is an important day in the faith journey of your child, so try to get everyone in on the celebration.
3. Go to Mass Regularly Week After Week
Now we get to the important part! Once your child has received First Holy Communion, it is essential that you take them to mass at your local church. They’ve been waiting so long to receive the Body and Blood of Christ but if you don’t take them to Mass weekly, you will be inadvertently teaching an erroneous message. As Catholics, we are required to receive the Eucharist weekly and if we did miss, we were always required to go to Confession before receiving Communion again. Since we’ve taught our children just how central the Eucharist is to our faith, we would be doing them a grave injustice not to bring them Sunday after Sunday, and also on high holy days.
Parents, can you remember just how much you looked forward to receiving Communion? You may also be one of those kids who practiced with Necco Wafers. Remembering just how excited you were should make it easier for you to plan that special celebration they will remember always and forever for the rest of their lives.
