Jesus said: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; . . . he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and . . . abides in me, and I in him” ( Jn 6:51, 54, 56)
The Eucharist is the heart and the summit of the Church’s life, for in it Christ associates his Church and all her members with his sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving offered once for all on the cross to his Father; by this sacrifice he pours out the graces of salvation on his Body which is the Church (Catechism of the Catholic Church).
At St Anne’s, preparation for First Holy Communion is a special time for all the family. Although you will have been preparing for this step since your child’s baptism, immediate preparation for reception of Holy Communion begins when a child is at least seven years of age and involves attendance at catechism classes and Sunday Mass, work on the children’s book at home, and regular parent meetings. During the season of Lent the children will prepare and celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Information on the preparation programme for each new cohort of children is posted in the parish newsletter early in the first term of each new school year. During October each year, the parish newsletter explains how to apply for the preparation programme.