“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.’ CCC1323
The Holy Eucharist completes Christian initiation (CCC 1322). The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life,” (CCC 1324). “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 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 1325).
For the administration of the Eucharist to children, it is required that they have sufficient knowledge and careful preparation so as to understand the mystery of Christ's presence according to their capacity, and can receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of the Lord with faith and devotion.
The child’s readiness for the celebration of the sacrament is to be determined by the child, the parent and the pastor or his delegate. The reception of the Eucharist should be preceded by the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The age of discretion is the time when a child begins to reason, that is, about the seventh year (typically in second grade).
Children will usually celebrate First Eucharist during the 2nd grade, if the faith formation of the child is on track. Older children (3rd and above) who have been baptized, will take classes in the update program that are coordinated by Karen, but taught by the parent. Learn more about our Children's Faith Formation program.
Those who have not been baptized will receive their sacraments through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults program.