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 Sacrament of the Eucharist, is the ultimate sign of Christ’s presence in our midst; the sharing of bread and wine, consecrated as Jesus’ own body and blood and offered by Jesus out of love for the whole world. Receiving the Eucharist for the first time represents the fullness of Christian initiation by most closely uniting the person with the mystery of Jesus.

Through the Eucharist, Jesus continues to be present to us today as he was to the Apostles at the Last Supper: at the table with his friends, in the bread and the wine, and in the sharing of life, sacrificing, and finding of new life by his body and blood. And through the Eucharist, those who receive the body of Christ are strengthened to be the body of Christ for others in their life.

Preparation for First Eucharist (and First Reconciliation) is family based and begins in the 2nd grade year. Children preparing for a sacrament should have completed at least one prior year of Faith Formation. For more information on the sacrament of First Eucharist please visit our Faith Formation section or fill out our Contact form.