First Communion

Following the directives of the Bishops of the United States of America, a separate non-graded program is in place to assist families in preparing their children for the celebration of First Communion.  Usually this occurs during the second year of elementary school, but families may choose a different age, earlier or later, depending on the maturity, awareness and interest of their child to celebrate this sacrament. Children need to be enrolled in a regular Religious Education Program, in English, Portuguese or Spanish, or a Catholic school in order to be eligible to enroll in a sacrament program.  

Our First Communion Program for the 2019-20 academic year will begin February 25, 2020 and finish with our First Communion Mass celebrations in May of 2020.

Candidates should complete the First Penance program, which begins in October, and have made their First Confession in order to continue with preparation to receive First Communion.  This is a non-graded program, so that a child may complete this preparation at a time that is best suited to his or her needs as well that of the family. 

Candidates need to attend all five First Communion preparation sessions.  Parents are also expected to participate in special sessions to support and educate their children.  These sessions have been scheduled as follows. All take place on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 PM in the Parish Center.

• Tuesday, February 25th
• Tuesday, March 3rd
• Tuesday, March 10th
• Tuesday, March 24th
• Tuesday, March 31st

• Tuesday, February 25 (in English in the Large Hall)
• Tuesday, March 3rd (in Spanish in  the Small Hall)
• Tuesday, March 10th (in Portuguese in the Large Hall)

The retreat with final preparation will be held on Saturday April 4, 2020 from 8:45 AM to 12:00 PM. The retreat begins in the Parish Center where students work on a special family craft project with the help of their parents. Students then rotate through guided stations which include interactive story and song, a tour of the church with Fr. Peter Joyce and snack time. 

The dates and Mass celebrations for First Communion in the Spring of 2020 are:

• Sundy, April 26th at the 10:30 AM Mass (English)
• Friday, May 2nd at the 7 PM Mass (Portuguese)
• Saturday, May 2nd at the 4 PM Mass (English)
• Sunday, May 3rd at the 9 AM Mass (Portuguese)
• Sunday, May 3rd at the 12 Noon Mass (Spanish)
• Saturday, May 9th at the 4 PM Mass (English)

Some of the photos from First Communion 2019 are below.  Click on a photo to see the entire image.