Eucharist

First Communion Preparation

First Communion is typically received during the 2nd grade year.  Every child will need comprehensive catechesis as well as proximate preparation for the reception of the Eucharist. For this reason, children preparing for First Communion who are not attending Catholic School should be enrolled in an Elementary Catechesis class that will take place on Sunday mornings or Wednesday afternoons.  Also, all children will attend a Family Retreat in preparation for First Communion.  For more information and to sign up, please visit the

Elementary Catechesis page

If your child is older than grade 2 and has not received First Communion, we are still eager to help them prepare for this important Sacrament.  For more information, please contact Amy Allert.

I am with you always....

The Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence is the belief that Jesus Christ is literally, not symbolically, present in the Holy Eucharist—body, blood, soul and divinity. This belief is found in the very beginning of the Church. Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist because Jesus tells us this is true in the Bible:

“I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh. The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?' So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him” (John 6:48-56).

Furthermore, the early Church Fathers either imply or directly state that the bread and wine offered in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper (The Mass) is really the body and blood of Jesus Christ. In other words, the doctrine of the Real Presence that Catholics believe today was believed by the earliest Christians 2,000 years ago!

This miracle of God’s physical presence to us at every Mass is the truest testament to Christ’s love for us and His desire for each of us to have a personal relationship with Him.

Reception of the Eucharist

Should Catholics receive communion on the hand or on the tongue?  And how exactly are we supposed to do that reverently?  Is there any other acceptable response besides “Amen?”  …and what does “amen” mean?

RCIA
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) ministry prepares adults to receive their initiation sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. Check out our "Becoming Catholic" page, and for more information about the RCIA process do not hesitate to contact the Ministry Leader of this program.