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After a year of classes, groups of children, some a little nervous, many excited, take their first Holy Eucharist.
By WAVENEY ANN MOORE
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 2, 2001
ST. PETERSBURG -- An hour before their first Communion Saturday, little boys, a few in spotless white suits, and girls, resplendent in white dresses and veils, clutched the hands of doting parents.
The clusters of families were heading from parking lots to Holy Family Catholic School, which was serving as a waiting area for the children until the 5 p.m. first Communion service at the parish church next door.
Eight-year-old Kerri Sadock, in a gown accented with a chain and crucifix from her neighbor, whom she calls Grandma Fannie, posed in front of a statue of the Blessed Virgin. Her mother, Karen, took pictures.
Other parents also picked the statue as a scenic backdrop to capture their offsprings' memorable day.
As she left her daughter at the school door, one mother was heard to remark wistfully, "The next time she'll look like that is when she gets married."
For Catholics, first Communion, like marriage, is a sacrament.
"It's one of the three sacraments of initiation in our church," the Rev. Robert Schneider said of the celebration of first Communion.
"Baptism is the first. When children receive their first Communion, they are taking the second step into full initiation in the church," said Schneider, Holy Family's pastor.
Full initiation comes with confirmation. For the children at Holy Family, confirmation will take place in the eighth grade.
First Communion, as it implies, is the first time that a child participates in Holy Communion, or the Eucharist, the center of Catholic faith.
"We believe that Communion comes to us from the Last Supper, when Jesus first changed bread and wine into his body and blood," Schneider said.
"We believe in a doctrine called transubstantiation, which means that the bread and wine substantially become the body and blood of Christ. They are no longer bread and wine. Some Protestants say that it is a symbol of his body and blood."
First Communion ceremonies traditionally are held in the spring, after Easter. At Blessed Trinity Catholic Church, for instance, 11 children are expected to take first Communion at the 9:30 a.m. Mass Sunday. Saturday at 10 a.m., 55 children will receive first Communion at St. Raphael's.
An air of anticipation permeated Holy Family last Saturday afternoon. The church, at 200 78th Ave. NE, overflowed with eager families and friends, some of whom chose to stand, ringing the back pews.
The first communicants, seemingly shy when their parents shuttled them into a holding pattern earlier, chatted and called to each other as they eventually were allowed to walk over to the church. Most even remembered to hold their hands prayerfully.
Watching the procession was Chuck Prather. While other parents had chosen to snag prime seats for the service, Prather, armed with a video camera, grabbed a strategic spot to catch Elizabeth, the last of his three daughters to make first Communion.
A convert to Catholicism, Prather said he found it difficult to express his feelings about his youngest daughter's first Communion.
"How can I put that feeling into words?" he asked.
"To see your child share in the bread of life and to have your whole family gather at Mass and take Communion is a wonderful feeling."
Waiting for the big moment was hard, said Elizabeth, who turned 8 Monday.
"I felt real excited because it was a little bit more before I received first Communion," she said.
As she walked to her place in church, Elizabeth said she felt scared that something might go wrong. But her mood changed minutes before Communion.
"I just felt really, really happy," she said.
Shepard Moore, smartly turned out in a dark suit and tie, also was nervous. The 9-year-old, a student at Lynch Elementary School, said he worried that he might not hold his hands correctly. But he got through the service and was happy, said Shepard, who later celebrated with his family at a restaurant.
Preparation for first Communion is a lengthy process. In the second grade, children attend classes during which they learn about the Eucharist and prepare for their first confession. At Holy Family, this year's first Communion candidates made their first confessions shortly after Christmas. A few also went to confession before the first Communion service Saturday.
There was a time when Catholic children did not receive first Communion until after they were confirmed, Schneider said. But that was changed by Pope Pius X in the early 1900s.
"He said that as long as children reached the age of reason, they could receive their first Communion. He changed the order of the sacraments," Schneider said.
"But if we have a child over the age of 7 who has never been baptized, we baptize, confirm and give them first Communion at the same time."
Besides the yearlong classes, students often attend a retreat before their first Communion. Sonya Adkins, director of religious education at Blessed Trinity, 1600 54th Ave. S, said her students will have a retreat Saturday.
"We will focus on the Last Supper, when Jesus gave the first Communion to the church," Mrs. Adkins said.
"We will have some of the teachers take a pitcher of water and wash their feet just like Jesus did at the Last Supper. They always are embarrassed by the foot washing, but we do that every year. We read them the Scripture, and we will give them grape juice and bread."
St. Raphael's pre-Communion retreat took place last month, said Rhona Beettam, director of religious education at the Snell Isle church. The children had arts and crafts, listened to a Bible story about the Last Supper and hunted for hidden treasure.
Mrs. Beettam said she is expecting a full church for Saturday morning's ceremony.
That would not surprise parents like Chuck Prather.
"It is such a special and beautiful moment in a child's life to receive their first Eucharistic meal," he said Saturday shortly before his daughter's first Communion.
"They spend a year in preparation for it, and today is the day they finally experience it."