Having passed from this world to the Father, Christ gives us in the Eucharist the pledge of glory with him. Participation in the Holy Sacrifice identifies us with his Heart, sustains our strength along the pilgrimage of this life, makes us long for eternal life, and unites us even now to the Church in heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the saints. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church 1419.

 

The Eucharist is “the heart and the summit of Christian life”. The sacrament of First Communion completes the initiation process by welcoming the baptized to the Table of the Lord. In this sacrament we remember the action of Jesus at the Last Supper when he blessed and broke the bread and shared it with his disciples. The Eucharist is an act of thanksgiving which is celebrated in communion with one another, most often at the Sunday Mass.

The sacrament of First Communion is celebrated along with the sacrament of Reconciliation at the end of the 2nd grade. The celebration is a very special day in the lives of our children and their families both in the Parish Elementary School and in our Religious Education Program, and is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation. Students learn about and recall the life of Jesus, the significance of the Passover Meal, and what the Eucharist means in their lives as Children of God. For more information, please contact Carolyn Mangiarotti, at the Office of Religious Education, 516-922-4488 x3701 or [email protected]