A young St. Therese of Lisieux so eloquently expressed the wonderfully intimate and priceless experience of First Communion — “How lovely it was, the first kiss of Jesus in my heart – it was truly a kiss of love. I knew that I was loved and said, ‘I love you and give myself to you forever.’” During the weekend of April 29-30, our parish second-graders got to experience this wonder for themselves!
During parish Masses that weekend, 20 second-graders from our faith formation program and All Saints School received their First Communion, consuming Christ’s Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity for the first time! And as Faith Formation Coordinator Kristen Rolling recalls, it was a wonderfully special day.
“It was such an important event in these children’s lives,” Kristen says. “To be able to receive Jesus into their bodies is such a special experience. It is so important to us as Catholics.”
We recognize the Eucharist as the “source and summit” of our Catholic faith, and Christ invites us to receive Him into our bodies. The second-graders have spent the year focusing their hearts and minds on Who Jesus is and what His Eucharistic presence means. They have discovered Christ under the loving guidance of Nick Matuszewski, who teaches second grade at All Saints, and Stephanie Bures, our second-grade faith formation catechist. The students were ready!
“Their teachers did a great job preparing them,” Kristen says.
So much time and effort was put into their sacramental preparation, you could see the eagerness in the kids’ eyes as they stepped forward to receive Jesus for the first time!
“It was such an honor and a privilege witnessing these young people receive Jesus for the first time,” Kristen says. “It is a special time for the kids and their families and a special time for our community as we welcome the kids into the Church in this way. It is pretty powerful, and I was grateful to be there!”
While they all prepared together, the children received First Communion at their personal parishes that weekend. Fr. Joel celebrated each Mass while Fr. George concelebrated and Deacon Andy assisted. Each Mass was beautifully done, and the children left more fully initiated into the life of our faith.
Congratulations, second-graders! May the Eucharist forever be of prime importance in your lives!
“Continue to invite Jesus into your lives,” Kristen says. “One of the most special ways you can do that is by going to Mass and receiving the Eucharist. Do so often! You will gain strength from it that you cannot get anywhere else!”
May they be fulfilled by Christ in the Eucharist in ways they cannot even fathom! May they run to Christ in the Eucharist with hearts eagerly yearning for Him!
