Preparation for
First Holy Communion
On this page you will find the dates for the year ahead. We also have a calendar that you can download.
Things that may be of interest
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Children's Liturgy
at Sunday 9am Mass
During our Sunday 9am Mass we have a Children’s Liturgy led by our amazing team of volunteers. It is the opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel for all children under 11 years old. Children’s Liturgy runs during term time, listen out for the invitation at the start of Mass for all children to come forward.
Dates for the journey ahead
Tues 16th Apr
Parents gathering 7:30pm in the Parish Centre Hall.
Sat 20th Apr
Groups for children – groups and their timing are allocated and sent by email
Sun 21st Apr
9am Family Mass in the Church (children go to Baptismal font)
11th/
12th May
First Holy Communion Masses – the exact timings of the Masses and their allocation will be done closer to the time
Sun 2nd June
Corpus Christi 12pm Mass & Celebration – we celebrate the end of the journey towards First Holy Communion with Mass, a jubilant procession and a celebration together afterwards. The children will receive a certificate as a reminder of the day they made their First Holy Communion.
Get in touch
Get in touch
formation@ealingabbey.org.uk
Your Preparation - Week 4
The Eucharist Changes Us
Today we will learn about how important the Eucharist is for us as members of the Catholic Church. We will see that we celebrate the Eucharist as a family of faith and that it helps us get closer to God and one another!
Let us pray
We begin every prayer with the Sign of the Cross.
“Father in heaven, When we go to Mass, we know something important is happening there.We know Jesus is present in the Holy Eucharist.Teach us how necessary the Eucharist is for all of us.Teach us to receive Jesus with love and respect.We ask this in his name. Amen.”
Let us pray the Our Father together.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
What was the best thing about the Mass on Saturday 16th March?
What one thing did you learn that you didn’t know already?
How did Jesus prepare the Apostles’ hearts to receive their first Communion?
Jesus and the Apostles were sharing the Last Supper together. While they were eating Jesus did something surprising. He got up from the table and poured water into a basin. He tied a towel around his waist and began to wash their feet.
Jesus is God the Son, why would he do this to the Apostle’s feet? He did it to show them how much he loved them. Jesus also washed their feet to show them how they should love one another. Remember, Jesus made the Apostles the first priests of his Church, when he washed their feet he showed them what Christian love means.
When we love someone we serve them. Jesus was showing the Apostles how to love one another and how to love the people who would come to believe in Jesus.
We also wash to get ready for something. Jesus was also washing the Apostle’s hearts. Jesus was making their hearts ready to recognise him in the Eucharist. We can only see with eyes of faith that Jesus is present in the Eucharist if we are humble. By allowing Jesus to wash their feet the Apostles were becoming very humble.
During the Mass Jesus also prepares our hearts to receive Jesus. Remember at the beginning of the Mass the Priest says, “Let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.” Listen out for these words at Mass. This is the moment where Jesus wants to wash our hearts and get them ready for Holy Communion.
Talk it out with your parent
Why did Jesus wash the Apostles’ feet?
How do we show someone we love them?
No greater grace
When we receive Communion we receive Jesus’ very own life into us. There is no way on earth to be closer to Jesus. By allowing Jesus into us and into our lives we become more like Jesus.
Jesus gives us many amazing gifts through Communion:
- Communion joins us more closely to Jesus
- Communion joins us more closely with the Church, the family of God.
- Communion nourishes our soul, giving it strength and energy (just like food nourishes our physical body)
- Communion strengthens our love for God and for others
- Communion helps us to become the person we were meant to be, the amazing person God wants us to be
This is why it is so important to go to Mass weekly. It’s a really great time in your life to make a commitment to go to Mass regularly. And there are so many different Masses at St Benedict’s over a weekend which means we can fit a Mass into our busy life for every weekend. There is Saturday 6pm, Sunday 9am, 10:15am, 10:30am, 12pm and even 7pm.
Talk it out with your parent
If you haven’t been able to make Mass regularly, is there a way you can come more regularly?
What does the Eucharist do?
The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” It is the beginning of being a Christian and it is the very top point of being a Christian. It is the most important part of our week and the foundation for everything we do in our life. The Eucharist gives us the courage to live our lives as faithful followers of Jesus.
When you receive Holy Communion for the first time you will be closer to Jesus than you have ever been before. What do you think it will be like to receive Jesus into your soul in this way?
The Eucharist also makes us closer to the Church, the family of God. Sometimes we can think the Church is a building, but really the Church is people, the family that Jesus has gathered together. Jesus wants us to live this life as his followers alongside other people. We are meant to live this life on our own and that is why Jesus gives us this local family of ours at Saint Benedict’s.
Video
Talk it out with your parent
- Sometimes families are busy. They go to Mass but must run to something else afterward, like a football game or for a food shop. How can you share the love of Jesus with others after Mass, even when everyone is busy?
- What happens when Felicity and Mum light the candles? How is this similar to what happens when we receive Jesus in Holy Communion?
- Like Dad’s milk and syrup in the video, when we are filled with God’s grace through the Eucharist, we need to stir it up. How can we stir up our grace and share it with others?
Your Preparation - Week 5
Jesus the Bread of Life
Today we will learn about the Mass as a sacrifice. In the Mass, the sacrifice of Christ is made present on the altar. Jesus himself is made present at Mass. He remains with us as the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle. We will talk about how we celebrate Jesus’ sacrifice for us together as a family of faith.
Let us pray
We begin every prayer with the Sign of the Cross.
Father in heaven, You are our Father ,and we want to love you more and more. You gave us your Son to show us the way. Teach us to worship you. Fill us with joy as we worship you at Mass .We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Let us pray the Our Father together.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Psalm 23 Painting
Bring this activity with you on Saturday to your Group.
Find a piece of paper and some pencils. Listen to the words of the Psalm as your parent reads them.
What do you imagine as you listen to the words? What image of God comes to mind? Draw a picture of what you think of when you hear the Psalm. Bring this along with you on Saturday for the children’s group.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
for the sake of His name.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me
all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
What is Worship?
What is Worship? It is love and honour that we give to God. The best way we can love and honour God is by going to Mass. At Mass we worship God through our prayers and songs. We listen to God speaking to us through the readings and the prayers, and we speak to God through our prayers and songs.
Mass is amazing because we receive so much from God. He feeds us with His Body and Blood, it is food for the journey. God also gives us tons of friendship with others at Church, our brothers and sisters in faith. God also speaks to us through the Bible readings.
But what about us and our part? God is prepared to give us so much, but what are we prepared to do?
Throughout the Old Testament the people would give their best to God. People would travel on foot for miles to meet with God at the Temple. They would come with their best animals or harvest to give to God through the Temple.
Obviously, now you don’t see animals at Church because God doesn’t want us to give him animals. God taught us what he wants us to give through Jesus, the Son of God.
Talk it out with your parent
What do you think God wants us to give to him?
Have you ever heard of the word sacrifice before? It’s a big word, what does it mean? Sacrifice means a gift.
In the Old Testament the people would sacrifice their animals to God. That means they would give their animals as a gift to God. But we already said, God didn’t want this to be the case for the New Testament. So what did Jesus do?
Jesus died on the cross for you and me. Jesus made a gift of himself for us, so that we can have life with God.
When you get a gift what do you do? You normally say a big thank you to the person giving it to you.
Well God has given us the biggest gift you could ever receive. God has given you the gift of life, the gift of love, the gift of friendship with Him, the gift of living forever with Him, the gift of being forgiven. The gift is Jesus and it is such a big gift that we could go on and on describing it for a long time.
And that’s what we do at Mass, we give thanks to God for the great gift of Jesus. That’s why the Mass is also known as the Eucharist, which literally means thanksgiving.
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
Did you hear that? Jesus sacrificed Himself for you, and gave you new life. So we go to Church every Sunday to give thanks, to be with Jesus and to be with our Church family.
Did you also hear what we give to God? We give our very best – our thoughts, our hearts, our very self. We give ourselves to God because God has given us everything.
Closing Prayer
Father in heaven, Long ago, you taught your people to worship you. You taught them to praise you, thank you, and make sacrifices. Now we worship you at Mass. The priest makes Jesus’ Holy Sacrifice on the Cross present to us on the altar, and we join our sacrifice to his. Thank you for the gift of your Son. Thank you for our priests, our parish, and all the people in it. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Your Preparation - Week 3
Transubstantiation
Today we will learn what the Eucharist is. It is much more than a symbol, Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. This happens by transubstantiation. We will learn what that big word means.
Let us pray
We begin every prayer with the Sign of the Cross.
Father in heaven, We know that Jesus is here with us. We know that he is truly present in the Eucharist. Teach us to know him and love him in Holy Communion. Help us receive him with pure hearts. We ask this in his name. Amen
Let us pray the Our Father together.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Don't Forget - Letter to God
If you haven’t done this already, make sure you do this activity.
Bring this activity with you to our Saturday 3pm Mass (16th March)
Find a piece of paper, write a Letter to God about your First Reconciliation and how you felt knowing you were forgiven. Bring the letter with you when we meet on Saturday 16th March for the Mass together. It will be part of the offering during Mass.
How we know that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ?
While Jesus walked the earth he worked many miracles. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, changed water into wine, walked on water, multiplied the loaves and fishes. Jesus could do these miracles because he is God the Son.
Jesus told the people that they must eat his Flesh and drink his Blood to have his life in them. It was the strangest thing to say. But at the Last Supper, Jesus showed the Apostles how this would happen. Jesus took ordinary bread and wine, performed another miracle, and changed them into his Body and Blood.
As Catholics we know Jesus was really saying the truth, that the bread and wine do become Jesus’ Body and Blood. Jesus is performing this miracle, this change, at every Mass, through the priest.
The bread looks like bread still, and the wine looks like wine still, but they really are Jesus’ Body and Blood. They really are Jesus.
Transubstantiation
The change that takes place is called by a big name, transubstantiation. The appearance doesn’t change, but the substance does.
We still see bread, we still taste bread, we still feel bread, but it is no longer bread. The substance, the reality, has become Jesus’ Body.
This happens because Jesus said it would. And it is something we can only see through the eyes of faith. By faith we know they have changed. By faith we know that at Mass it really is Jesus.
Talk it out with your parent
How can we grow in faith of Jesus and believe his words more?
Video
Why the Eucharist?
In the very early days of the Church there was this saying – “God became one of us so that we might become God.”
What does that mean? God became human in Jesus, so that we humans might be able to have God’s life within us.
Jesus gave us the Eucharist as a gift so that we could receive his very own life into us. That’s amazing right! When we go to communion we actually receive Jesus’ life into us.
We should go as often as we can because Jesus’ life is strength for this journey of life. Holy Communion is spiritual food for our spiritual life. Just like you need physical food to stay alive and to thrive, so too you need the spiritual food of the Eucharist to stay alive spiritually and thrive spiritually. So, go to Mass regularly. Encourage your family to come too. It’s really important and it is really an amazing opportunity to spend time with Jesus. We should all go weekly to Mass, to spend time with our friend Jesus.
Miracles
Sometimes we can think that the miracles stopped when Jesus went to Heaven. But that’s not true. There have been many miracles that have happened in the past 2,000 years since Jesus ascended to Heaven. Jesus works through people and brings about lots of different miracles.
One miracle that happens every day is at Mass, where the bread and wine change into Jesus’ Body and Blood. As we said earlier, it isn’t something we see with our physical eyes, we need the eyes of faith.
BUT, sometimes God allows the change to also be visible to our physical eyes. On rare occasions, God has changed the substance of the bread and wine into Jesus’ Body and Blood.
These are known as Eucharistic miracles and they happen from time to time. You can get your parents to Google them. This happens sometimes to help us see that Jesus’ words are actually true. We really are receiving Jesus’ life into us at every holy communion. What an honour.
Talk it out with your parent
Are we going to Mass enough? Should we try to go more often?
Why do you think Jesus’ body and blood normally appears to be bread and wine?
Your Preparation - First Reconciliation
Your first reconciliation
Today we will hear we will learn about how to get ready to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We will also learn what happens during the Sacrament. We will be confident when we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
We begin every prayer with the Sign of the Cross.
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
Father in heaven, It is hard to talk about things we have done wrong. Help us to prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Help us be brave and honest about our sins. Help us remember that it is Jesus who listens and forgives us. We ask this in his name. Amen.
Have you ever wondered what it is like to have Jesus forgive you?
Do you remember Peter? He was one of the Apostles. The Apostles were Jesus’ closest friends and followers. Jesus made Peter their leader, but Jesus knew that Peter was sometimes weak, like all of us.
One night, Peter did something terrible. Some soldiers arrested Jesus and took him away. Some people in the crowd asked Peter if he was one of Jesus’ followers. Peter was afraid and denied even knowing Jesus, not just once but three times. Peter pretended that he never knew Jesus at all.
When Peter realised what he had done he was ashamed and went away and cried.
Later when Jesus rose from the dead Jesus came to Peter and they talked.
Peter denied Jesus three times. Now Jesus gives Peter the opportunity to say come back from that place by telling of his love for Jesus three times. Three times, Jesus showed Peter his mercy and forgiveness, Jesus drew Peter back to him. Jesus healed his friend.
Peter sinned, he was deeply sorry, Jesus forgave Peter and healed Peter and restored their relationship.
The Church continues Jesus’ work
We have spoken before about the Church continuing Jesus’ work. Well Jesus didn’t just want Peter to be forgiven and restored in love and healed. Jesus wanted each of us to have that opportunity as well. That is why Jesus gave us the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Jesus knows we are not perfect, Jesus knows that we are like Peter sometimes. When we go to Confession, we are showing Jesus that we love him and need his forgiveness. Jesus forgives us and shows us how much he loves us too.
Talk it out with your parent
How are we like Peter?
How do you think Peter felt after denying his friend Jesus? How do you think Peter felt after Jesus restored their friendship?
Getting Ready for Reconciliation
We receive Jesus’ forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Receiving this Sacrament is the way Jesus wants us to know we are forgiven.
We know that on the day of your First Reconciliation you may be a bit nervous because it is a new experience. You’re probably excited nervous or a little bit intrigued or a little bit scared. That’s ok. Just remember these important things:
- Everyone is there to help you. The Priest is there to help, your parent is there to help, the volunteers are there to help
- It is good to memorise the words and the steps if you can, but don’t worry if you can’t, the Priest will help you anyway
- You can print off anything on this page to have with you on the day
- God loves you so much and is delighted that you want to go to your First Reconciliation. You’re showing him that you love him and want to get rid of the things that hold you back from loving him more
6 Steps
It is helpful to think of the Sacrament of Reconciliation as 6 steps:
- We examine our conscience
- We confess our sins
- We receive guidance and gives us a penance prayer
- We say sorry to God
- Jesus forgives us through the priest
- We pray the prayer the priest gave us, thank Jesus for his mercy and light a candle
Handout – We have put together a sheet which we hope will help you. Go through the sheet at home as a practice. We will have printed copies on the Saturday of the First Reconciliation. CLICK HERE.
On the day of the First Reconciliation
Children come with a parent. Your First Reconciliation is a great joy so the close immediate family are invited to share in this amazing moment. All the family are also invited to receive Jesus’ mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation on the same day as their child. There is plenty of time so please feel welcome to go as well. It is an amazing example and witness to your child as well.
Stick to the time your group was given, we have spaced out the timings to allow for parents and other older children in the family to go.
Some useful videos
1
Being forgiven by God is one of the greatest experiences.
2
God will go to great lengths to help you know his love and mercy.
3
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the greatest moments in life.
Intro
Hello everyone.
It’s the very last week of our online preparation. I hope you have enjoyed the preparation.
A date for the diary – Sunday 11th June 12pm Mass. There is a gathering to give out certificates for each child and to give thanks to all the catechists for their amazing input.
The power of prayer
Before beginning their service project, Ben, Sarah, and their friends explore the power of prayer with Sr. Rosa.
From the Bible: I Will Always Be with You
Taking a break from fixing up Mr. Fitzgerald’s house, Ben, Sarah, and their friends are surprised to learn that we all have a special role to play in sharing God’s love with the world.
Trusting God
Fr. Tom, Sr. Rosa, Max, Jessica, Tiny, Isabella, Elijah, and even Hemingway share parting words of wisdom and encouragement.
Closing Prayer
The angels and saints in heaven are cheering and praying for you to become the-best-version-of-yourself! Ben and Sarah lead us in prayer, calling upon the angels and saints to continue to pray for us.
Send us Your Snapshot
I hope you have enjoyed the videos for this week.
Email content@ealingabbey.org.uk
Your Creativity
