Preparing your child to receive the Lord in the Holy Eucharist video link  and how to receive the Lord in the Holy Eucharist step by step in the document to the left. 

Dear Parents of First Communicants,

We hope everyone has a blessed day!

As we prepare your child for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion, please review the information they are taught and/or sent home with your child or emailed to you. If your child would like additional First Penance or First Holy Communion Sacramental PREP, please reach out and we can schedule a Zoom or in person meeting. 

We would also like you to watch https://watch.formed.org/videos/para-ninos-the-miracle-at-every-mass with your family. This video focuses on the transforming of bread and wine to the Blessed Sacrament – Jesus! It is offered through Formed which the parish purchased as a gift for you.  You can access hundreds of Catholic books, movies, audio and programs for the whole family in addition to this one. You can set up your account by visiting formed.org/signup and selecting our parish. To access Formed, you don’t need a password nor do you need to pay for it. The parish already did:

- Go to signup.formed.org

- Select our parish after you put in zip code

- Register with your name and email

- Check your email for a link to begin!

Please find some important First Holy Communion Reminders:

The two First Holy Communion Masses will take place on Saturday, April 25th at 9:30 AM (Last names: A-K) and 12:00 PM (Last names L-Z) unless you requested a different time which we had previously noted.

The Mass:

• For the 9:30 AM Mass, children should arrive by 9 (9:00 AM at the latest) and report to the Church Hall and sit in their assigned seat. Please note that there is a second Mass at 12:00 PM so everyone needs to leave the church after Mass, when  directed, so we can clean.

• For the 12:00 PM Mass, children should arrive by 11:20 (11:30 AM at the latest) and report to the Church Hall and sit in their assigned seat. The 9:30 AM Mass should be over but, just in case it is not, please enter the church quietly. After Mass, we need to clean and prepare for evening Mass so we ask that everyone leave the church when directed.

• First Holy Communion Masses will be streamed through our parish website www.sspeterandpaulrc.org for those who cannot attend in person and will be videotaped by Bradley Digital. It also will be posted on our website so you can view it afterward but it may take a few days to post.

• No photos may be taken during Mass as we are in the presence of Jesus and the children should have time to reflect upon the gift they are receiving. Additionally, some of the children are nervous and having cameras and flashes do not help keep them calm.

• Bradley Digital will take a video and photos that day. Picture and video information – a few changes from prior years – Bradley Digital will provide a flyer with details but from a high level: Bradley Digital will be videotaping your child’s First Holy Communion Liturgy. Approximately 4-5 weeks after the Communion, each family will receive an email with instructions and a link (digital downloadable file) of the Communion video. This video link can be enjoyed and shared with your friends and family and this special day can be relived for years to come. Any pictures other than by the professional photographer must be taken outside of church.

• Bradley Digital will also be capturing the following images during your child’s Communion Liturgy — Photographs of child actually receiving their First Eucharist and candid photos of the children throughout the Mass.

•  If your child requires a low gluten host, please let us know so we can plan accordingly. For any guests attending who are gluten free, please let them know to wait until everyone has received Holy Communion and then they should go up to the right-hand side of the altar and wait to receive a low gluten host.    

Attire:

• Boys are to wear navy jackets, white dress pants, pastel shirt, any color tie and dress shoes.

• Girls wear white dresses, white socks or tights and white dress shoes. Veils, wreaths and ribbons may be worn in hair but are not necessary. No makeup and no gloves.

• No sneakers are allowed for boys or girls.

• We have a few extra blazers, shirts, slacks, 1 pair of boy's black shoes size 2 and a few dresses some are brand new. If anyone would like to borrow anything, please email us.

• No shorts, sweat pants, sneakers or flip flops, please.

• Children are encouraged to wear their Communion attire to Mass the next day so the parish can celebrate with them and again at the May Procession, if we are able to have it. If we have a May Procession, we will let you know.

While we know the children go to Mass, they still tend to be nervous at First Holy Communion, so please review the Mass with your children so they will be comfortable. A fun thing to do would be to watch Mass at SSPP with your child on YouTube. You can pause if they have any questions. Here is the SSPP mass link: https://sspeterandpaulrc.org/

An Overview of the Mass - Celebrating the Lord's Day

Introductory Rites (Preparing to celebrate the Eucharist)

o   Entrance Chant (We gather as a community and praise God in song.)

o   Greeting

o   We pray the Sign of the Cross. The priest welcomes us.

o   Penitential Rite (We remember our sins and ask God for mercy.)

o   Gloria (We praise God in song.)

o   Collect (We ask God to hear our prayers.)

Liturgy of the Word (learning God’s plan of salvation)

o   First Reading (Old Testament)

o   Responsorial Psalm

o   Second Reading (New Testament)

o   Gospel Acclamation (We sing “Alleluia!” to praise God for the Good News. During Lent, we use a different acclamation.) Stand

o   Gospel Reading- Stand

o   Homily- Sit

o   Profession of Faith- Stand

o   Prayer of the Faithful (We pray for our needs and the needs of others.) Sit

         Liturgy of the Eucharist (celebrating Christ’s presence in the Eucharist)

o   Presentation and Preparation of the Gifts

o   Prayer over the Offerings

o   The priest prays that God will accept our sacrifice.

o   Eucharistic Prayer-kneel

o   Preface—We give thanks and praise to God.

o   Holy, Holy, Holy (We sing an acclamation of praise.) Stand

o   Consecration—The bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

o   The Mystery of Faith—We proclaim the mystery of our faith.

o   Amen (We affirm the words and actions of the Eucharistic Prayer.)

o   Communion Rite—receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ

o   Lord’s Prayer- stand

o   Sign of Peace- stand

o   Lamb of God (We pray for forgiveness, mercy, and peace.) (Stand but after, kneel)

o   Communion - We will direction child and parent first and then others

o   Prayer After Communion (We pray that the Eucharist will strengthen us to live as Jesus did.) Stand

         Concluding Rites (Go forth to glorify the Lord by our lives) Stand

         Final Blessing (We receive God’s blessing.) Stand

After Father processes out, he will come around and hand out the Blessing Cups to each child. We will guide the parents to meet with their child so they can exit together. We ask everyone to remain seated until the child and parent meet up.

         Dismissal

Seating:

• Communicants will be seated together in the first few pews with their parents seated in the rows behind them. Due to space limitations, we ask that other family members including siblings sit with relatives. 

• At this time we do not have any limitations on the number of guests each family brings. We just ask that it is kept at a reasonable number and that we allow for seating of the elderly and handicapped.

Distribution of Communion:

•  The children will receive their First Holy Communion first with their parents going up with them. The children will kneel at the kneeler with the parents behind them, bow the heads to Jesus who is present in the Holy Eucharist, then receive our Lord on their tongue.
  After he or she received our Lord in the Holy Eucharist, they go back to their pew with their parents first receiving the Lord from the extradionary minister to the side of the altar. Once the children and their parents have received the Lord in the Eucharist, the priests will distribute communion to the other congregants.

Practice:

• There will be practice prior to the First Communion Masses. April 20th from 5-6:30PM for last names A – K (unless you requested a different time) and April 20th from 6:30-8:00PM for last names L – Z (unless you requested a different time).

Please give the letter or card for your child directly to your child before or after their First Holy Communion day. Samples are below.

Sample letters for First Holy Communion for you to give directly to your child*

Dear ­­­________,

Sample Letters:

I cannot believe that you are old enough to make your First Holy Communion!!! The time has flown! I remember waiting for you to be born and now you are eight! The past eight years have seemed to pass in the blink of an eye! You are such a big help around the house. Thank you for setting the table, putting away your laundry and helping to keep the house clean. You are a very important part of the family and you work hard to keep the family running smoothly! You work so hard to learn new things. Reading and Math, Religion and Writing, you always try your best (well, except for handwriting, but we love you anyway!). We are proud of all the things you have accomplished and you always try your best! I pray that as you grow up, the sweetness and kindness you have in your heart continues to grow. But don’t lose your goofy/funny side too- we all love that about you! 

As long as I’m living, I will thank God for my beautiful, kind, sweet and talented daughter. God Bless and Keep You!

Or

Dear ­­­­_____,

I cannot believe that the time has come for you to receive your First Holy Communion. I clearly remember the day you were born; it feels like only yesterday I held you in my arms for the first time. You were a sweet, little boy and always very focused and observant! At the young age of 6 months you would quietly sit and look at a toy for quite a long time given your young age. As you have grown, you still have that focus. Don’t lose that! You also have a very big heart. You are kind and gentle and have always been a blessing to our family. You are very bright and inquisitive. Never be afraid to ask questions.

I hope you continue to grow in your faith. God loves you dearly and you are as special to Him as you are to your family. Enjoy your special day. We love you “to the moon and back”.

Regarding the actual day, with God’s Grace, everything should be fine and wonderful on April 24th for First Holy Communion! We are so excited for them to receive Our Lord in the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist!

God is Good! All the Time! All the Time! God is Good!