Question of the Week: First Communion

Our parish celebrated the first of two First Holy Communion weekends this week. Rather than receiving for the first time as a class, families choose their usual Sunday Mass for First Communion. This is a beautiful way for the whole parish community to celebrate this very important event in a child's life. Many parishioners stopped to greet the little girl who received her First Communion at the Mass I attended.

I always wished that my children had the opportunity to receive First Holy Communion at a Sunday Mass rather than in a whole-class setting on a Saturday morning when the rest of the community was not there. My First Communion was at a Sunday Mass, and I was the only one receiving for the first time that day. I felt comfortable being at the Mass I usually attended, with my family around me, rather than being in the middle of a whole class.

How does your parish celebrate First Communion? Do children receive as a class or does this sacrament take place during a Sunday Mass?

Please share your answers and experiences in the comment box below.