“The Eucharist is the sacrament of love: it signifies love, it produces love. The Eucharist is the consummation of the whole spiritual life.”
-St. Thomas Aquinas
Celebrating First Holy Communion is a beautiful step in the life of a Catholic and at St. Timothy we practice the sacrament, through its entire process, with the upmost honor it requires. In the sacrament of First Communion, we receive the Eucharist, the food of eternal life. The Eucharist is a vital principle of the Catholic Church.
The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. (Sacrosanctum Concilium 47)
The Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith: “Our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking.” (St. Irenaeus, in CCC 1327)
Jesus said: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live fore ever; . . . he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and . . . abides in me, and I in him.” (John 6:51, 54, 56)
The Eucharist is the heart and the summit of the Church’s life, for in it Christ associates his Church and all her members with his sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving offered once for all on the cross to his Father; by this sacrifice he pours out the graces of salvation on his Body which is the Church. (1407)
Visit the Religious Education Page to learn how your child can prepare to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
Requirements for First Communion
-
A copy of the Birth Certificate and Baptism Certificate must be provided.
-
Upon starting catechism classes in the fall, the candidate must be between the 1st and 10th grade.
-
In the case that the candidate is in 11th or 12th grade of high school or is over 18 years old, they may join the RCIA group (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults).