"The holy Eucharist completes Christian initiation. Those who have been raised to the dignity of the royal priesthood by Baptism and configured more deeply to Christ by Confirmation participate with the whole community in the Lord's own sacrifice by means of the Eucharist. 'At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet ‘in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.'' 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'" (CCC 1322-1325).
First Communion normally occurs in 2nd grade. Those who have missed preparation in 2nd grade take one of three tracks:
1)If the student is baptized and has been attending some sort of formation, then they will be prepared to receive First Communion. If the student is 14 or older, they'll be prepared to receive both Communion and Confirmation.
2) If the student is baptized and has not done any formation whatsoever, then they will be prepared for both First Communion and Confirmation.
3) If the student is not baptized, they will be prepared to enter the Church at Easter Vigil and receive Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion.
Keep in mind that we require two years of Formation (the year prior, and the year the child will receive the sacrament). Please call the Formation Office if you have any further questions at (979) 822-2721 x114