2021-2022
First Holy Communion Preparation 

What is the Sacrament of Holy Communion?

The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life." The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.
The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being. It is the culmination both of God's action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit.
Finally, by the Eucharistic celebration we already unite ourselves with the heavenly liturgy and anticipate eternal life, when God will be all in all."
- Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 1324-1326



The process of First Holy Communion Preparation at St. John Paul II is focused on assisting the parents as primary educators and evangelists for their children. 

For this reason, we are excited to announce our ongoing Catholic Youth Formation (CYF) program! CYF helps parents to pass down to their children the great truths of our faith, and helps them to live this faith boldly, offering them the opportunity not to have more, but to be more!  

Preparation at St. John Paul II is typically a two year commitment, beginning in 1st grade, and ending in the spring semester of 2nd grade. To learn more about our program and how to get registered click here.

 

First Communion - What to Wear?

BOYS
White dress shirt, with a tie and dress pants (any color) and nice shoes (no sneakers please).

A suit is optional. 

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GIRLS
White dress or blouse. The dress or blouse must cover the back and shoulders (you should wear a white sweater over the dress if it has spaghetti straps).

A veil is optional.

When someone is baptized they are clothed in a white garment, which symbolizes that they have “put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27) – they no longer suffer the nakedness caused by Original Sin but have now become a child of God. 
 
Having become a child of God clothed with the white garment (also referred to as “the wedding garment” by the Church) the baptized child may now be admitted “to the marriage supper of the Lamb” to receive the food of the new life, the Body and Blood of Christ. 
 
This white garment reappears many times in the course of one’s life in the Church: the white robes worn by the priest, deacon, and altar servers at Mass; the white dresses traditionally worn by girls celebrating their first holy communion; the white gown worn by the bride at a wedding; the white pall draped over a coffin at a funeral, etc. 
 
What the children wear when receiving their first communion should recall this baptismal garment. The color white is especially significant – please emphasize this with your child when picking out something to wear. White represents holiness, purity, and the fact that we are called to be the “light of the world” – we wear white to remember that we have been clothed in Christ, and when people look at us they should see Him.  

Documents and Resources