Over the past two weekends we have celebrated the First Holy Communion of 46 of our young parishioners.Â
- Sunday 9th June, 12 noon – first group
- Sunday 16th June, 12 noon – second group
This is a profound moment in the spiritual journey of our children as they receive the Eucharist for the first time and is the point when all of the weeks of preparation come together in a wonderful celebration. The children contributed in many different ways during the mass: through clear and eloquent reading, welcoming, bidding prayers, offertory procession and angelic singing. Each child contributed in a very special way, and we are proud of each and every one of them.
Fr Anthony in his homily invited the children to make a promise to Jesus and the children contributed, promising to pray regularly and attend church on Sundays, showing a true understanding that the gift of the Eucharist is not a one-time celebration, but is the beginning of a lifelong journey with Christ.
It was wonderful to see our church filled with families and friends supporting our young parishioners and we would like to thank them for supporting their children in their faith journey.Â
An immense gratitude to Mary, the lead catechist, and the entire team of catechists, Vicky, Ann, Beth, Sharon, Michelle, Jasmine, Katy, Alyssa, Marcela, Manamalage, Debbie, Fr Anthony and to our young catechists, Daniel, Deacon and Petronilla, for their dedication and love shown in preparing the children for such a significant moment in their spiritual lives. Receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus for the first time is a profound experience, and the support and guidance from the catechists is invaluable.
A sincere thank you to Rita and Irene for the excellent flower arrangements on the altar and to Charmaine for the handiwork done on the Chasuble. We are very thankful to Christy and James for the photography done for the two masses.
We look forward to the Going Forth Mass on Sunday 30th June 10:30am, and fellowship meal celebration in the Hall after Mass.
Ann Paton, Catechist
Photos © C Del Fresno; J Fitzpatrick-Ellis