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First Holy Communions; Differences in celebrations
Topic Started: Tuesday, 20. March 2007, 22:07 (2,222 Views)
nelly k

First Holy Communions were always held in May and rightly so, now sometimes moved to June...
Am I being nit picky by saying it should be May... ie the Month of Mary... does it really matter? nelly
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Alan
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the ideal is that First Holy Communion is given around the Feast of Corpus Christi.( The Body and Blood of Christ).

This year the Feast Day is being celebrated on the 10th of June. A Holy Day of Obligation which has been moved to Sunday.

I hope this answers your query Nelly.

God Bless all who visit this forum,

Alan.

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Rose of York
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I like Alan's idea. The nearest Sunday to Corpus Christi would be best.

I made mine in June.
Keep the Faith!

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nelly k

Alan. what a prat I may have made of myself, I owe you and this forum big time, I always thought it was May, totall and utter eegit...
What you say makes perfect sense... nelly
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Alan
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Nelly,

No you have not made an "eigit" of yourself. Corpus Christi can be in May dependant on the date of Easter. Next year Easter falls in March.

God Bless all who visit this forum,

Alan.

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Deleted User
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Yes even back in my day it was around Corpus Christi but while this seems to me to remain favourite I notice that the it is not always the case and anywhere from May to July seems to be used.

And terrible confession--I now find myself avoiding First Communion Mass in our Church because it takes longer! This is terrible because we should be standing by the children as part of the parish. Each year I promise I will never dodge in this way again. Soon be put to the test!
John
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In our parish, First Holy Communion is on Easter Sunday. You can't avoid the First Communion Mass because there isn't one as such! There are some First Communicants at all the Masses, including the Vigil.
KatyA
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Rose of York
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Where I am now, in a small rural parish, we are lucky to get a couple of children for First Holy Communion, and because there is no Catholic school, those children are invariable from families that practise their faith. Therefore they appreciate the meaning and importance of the day.

In a certain City parish I was sickened by the sight of parents running along the altar rails, shoving cameras within inches of the priest's face so they could get a "good shot of our Beckham getting communion". There were parents who obviously had forgotten what to do at Mass, received Holy Communion and talked to each other on the way back down the aisle. The performance upset me so much I avoided going the following year. Perhaps I was at fault. What if the whole parish had stayed away?

Is the answer, for the school to give teaching, but for the parents to have to make individual approaches to the parish priest, for their children to receive Holy Communion? There is the danger of non believing parents having the child receive First Holy Communion solely because "the rest of the class are doing it and we don't want our little girl to be left out." Could it be that some teenagers association Church with school, so leaving school is the trigger point for giving up on the Church, ie abandoning kids' stuff?

Welcome to Catholic Cyberforum, John.
Keep the Faith!

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CARLO
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A few years ago we had to save 'Father Liturgy Prof' from certain disaster when he tried to insist on:

1. All 40-50 first communicants attending the busiest Sunday Mass

2. Tickets being allocated for the Mass with each family limited to 2 or 3.

Poor Father meant well and everyone was very polite.

He would not listen.

Eventually a gentleman stood up in frustration and explained that he had a dozen brothers and sisters who would all wish to attend leave alone other members of the family, some 24 in total. How was he to handle the restricted ticket allocation?

Eventually Father relented and we continued with our long standing special and lengthy afternoon Mass for first communicants, open to all in the Parish and without tickets or restriction.

Deo gratias
Thanks be to God


CARLO
Judica me Deus
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Emee
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Hi Nelly

My nephew is making his first Holy Communion this year on 29th April!!

It is so much sooner than we thought it would be that we won't be able to go up for it now - due to other plans. It is such a shame as I'd said earlier in the year I would be there for him - but that was when I thought it would be in May / June!

Looks like it's a case of pick any Sunday now... :(

Welcome John - you caught up with us then!!?
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PJD

I can appreciate what Carlo was speaking about - tickets.

Personally I prefer the old way i.e. all girls one side, boys the other, parents out of sight or rather dispersed within the congregation.

The only reserved pews then was for the children themselves.

PJD
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nelly k

John, I worry about you ... guess what my Peter aviods...
But I think it is because of what Rose refers to , really mad parents and there Cameras, so I have sympathy with PJD comments, but not sure if I would like that, with my oldest the whole family were reserved a pew, some still ended up at the back, it was a great day.
Iam so glad I got let of lightly about why Niamhs Holy Communion was in June and not as I thought 1st Holy Communions always in May...
Iam not sure what goes on in England but Niamh will make her Confirmation in April before her First Holy Communion, her 1st Confession was last year, Ive now got the work book home for prep for Confirmation.
Emme realy sorry to hear about your Nephew, you never know something may change and you may get there, but give him a phone call on the day any way two of our Relatives are abroad so there is likely people missing from our family as well. nelly
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Derekap
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It is the first time I have heard of Confirmation before one's First Holy Communion in the Catholic Church. I know some Orthodox Churches confirm infants at the time of Baptism and even give them their First Holy Communion.
Derekap
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Michael

our daughter makes her communion in may, and in my old parish i made my first communion in may, i always thought it was traditional for first communions being made in may as everyone i know made theirs then
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Deacon Robert
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Derekap, Nelly,

The reception of Baptism,confirmation,eucharist (in that order) was the normal way even in the Latin church through the 17th and 18th centuries. During the 19th century a practice of giving communion before confirmation began in France, Belgium, Austria and Hungary. This was later approved by Pope Pius X in 1910. It has been this way in our (Latin) church since then.

The Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches (those in union with Rome) Have a rite called Chrismation. In this rite the three Sacraments of initiation (Baptism,Confirmation, and Communion) are given at the same time and yes it is given to infants.
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne

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