First Communion is a ceremony in someChristian traditions during which a person of the church first receives theEucharist.[1] It is most common in many parts of theLatin Church of theCatholic Church,Lutheran Church andAnglican Communion (other ecclesiastical provinces of these denominations administer a congregant's First Communion after they receive baptism andconfirmation).[2][3] In churches that celebrate a rite of First Communion separate from baptism or confirmation, it typically occurs between the ages of seven and thirteen, often acting as arite of passage. In other denominations first communion ordinarily follows the reception ofconfirmation, which occurs at some point in adolescence or adulthood, while Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christiansfirst receive the sacrament of Holy Communion in infancy, along withHoly Baptism andChrismation.
Catholics believe this event to be very important, as the Eucharist occupies a central role in Catholic theology and practice.
First Communion is not celebrated in theEastern Orthodox churches, theOriental Orthodox churches or theAssyrian Church of the East, as they practiceinfant communion (which often is simultaneously administered withinfant baptism andconfirmation). SomeAnglicans allow infant communion, while others require the previous reception of confirmation, usually during the teenage years.[dubious –discuss]
The celebration of this ceremony is typically less elaborate in many Protestant churches. Catholics and some Protestants believe that Christ istruly present in the Eucharist; Catholics believe this is throughtransubstantiation, Lutherans believe that this is through asacramental union,Methodists believe that the way Christ is made manifest in the Eucharistic elements is a Holy Mystery, while theReformed affirm a pneumatic presence.[4][5][6]Other denominations have varying understandings, such as the Eucharist being a symbolic meal and means of remembering Christ's last supper. In the Catholic Church, each individual receives a unique mission from God when they receive their First Holy Communion.
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First Communion is an important tradition for Catholic families and individuals. ForLatin Church Catholics, Holy Communion is usually the third of seven sacraments received; it occurs only after receiving Baptism, and once the person has reached theage of reason (usually, around the second grade). First confession (the firstsacrament of penance) must precede one's first reception of the Eucharist. For those entering into the Catholic Church as adults, Confirmation occurs immediately before first Communion. In 1910,Pope Pius X issued the decreeQuam singulari, which changed the age at which First Communion is taken to 7 years old, due to the case ofEllen Organ. Previously, local standards had been 10 or 12 or even 14 years old.[7] Byzantine Catholics celebrate the sacraments of baptism, confirmation (Chrismation), and Holy Communion on the same day as an infant's baptism.
Traditions of celebration surrounding First Communion usually include large family gatherings and parties to celebrate the event. The first communicant wears special clothing. The clothing is often white to symbolize purity, but not in all cultures. Often, a girl wears a fancy dress and aveil attached to a chaplet of flowers or some other hair ornament. In other communities, girls commonly wear dresses passed down to them from sisters or mothers, or even simply their school uniforms with the veil or wreath. Boys may wear a suit and tie, tuxedo, their Sunday best, or national dress, with embroidered armbands worn on the left arm and occasionally white gloves.
In manyLatin American countries, boys wear military-style dress uniforms with goldbraidaiguillettes. InSwitzerland, both boys and girls wear plain white robes with brown woodencrosses around their necks. In Spain, Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, andGuam, girls are dressed up as brides, although this has been partly replaced byalbs in recent times. InScotland, boys traditionally wearkilts and other traditional Scottish dress which accompany the kilt. In thePhilippines, First Communion services often occur on or around the Feast of theImmaculate Conception (the country'spatron saint), with boys donning either thebarong tagalog or semi-formal Western dress, and girls a plain white dress and sometimes a veil. InVietnam, girls wear whiteáo dài with a veil, though this is not always the case.
Gifts of a religious nature are usually given, such asBibles,children's or teenager's daily devotional books,rosaries,prayer books, religious statues,icons, andholy cards. Monetary gifts are also common.[8]
Many families have formal professional photographs taken in addition to candid snapshots in order to commemorate the event. Some churches arrange for a professional photographer after the ceremony.
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With the recent pastoral letter 'Come, Holy Ghost,' Bishop Steven Lopes revealed the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter would now become the 14th Latin-Rite diocese to make the reception of Holy Eucharist which normally follows Confirmation, something commonly called 'restored order' of the sacraments, with a focus on involving the child's family in sacramental preparation. ... The following U.S. Latin-Rite dioceses have currently embraced a restored order for the Sacraments of Initiation: Saginaw, Michigan (1995); Great Falls-Billings, Montana (1996); Portland, Maine (1997); Spokane, Washington (1998); Fargo, North Dakota (2002); Gaylord, Michigan (2003); Tyler, Texas (2005); Phoenix, Arizona (2005); Honolulu, Hawaii (2015); Denver, Colorado (2015); Manchester, New Hampshire (2017); Springfield, Illinois (2017); Gallup, New Mexico (2019); and the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter (2020).
Some congregations follow a pattern familiar to older generations of Lutherans: first communion is received at the time of confirmation. A generation ago, many of our congregations began preparing catechetical material for children to receive their first communion when they reached fifth grade.
For Anglicans and Methodists the reality of the presence of Jesus as received through the sacramental elements is not in question. Real presence is simply accepted as being true, its mysterious nature being affirmed and even lauded in official statements likeThis Holy Mystery: A United Methodist Understanding of Holy Communion.
The Westminster Confession emphatically declares that Christ is truly present in the elements and is truly received by those partaking, "yet not carnally and corporally, but spiritually" (chap. 31, par. 7). The insistence is that while Christ's presence is not physical in nature it is no less a real and vital presence, as if it were a physical presence. ... Those of us in the Reformed tradition are under strong obligation to honour the notion of the real presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper.
In the Roman Catholic Church the official explanation of how Christ is present is called transubstantiation. This is simply an explanation ofhow, not a statementthat, he is present. Anglicans and Orthodox do not attempt to define how, but simply accept the mystery of his presence.
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