By coming together to listen to God’s Word and breaking the bread we are fulfilling Christ’s command to “Do this in remembrance of him”.
‘Holy Eucharist is the Sacrament in which Jesus Christ gives His Body and Blood- Himself- for us, so that we too might give ourselves to Him in love and be united with Him in Holy Communion. In this way we are joined with the one Body of Christ, the Church’ Catechism of the Catholic Church – Reference [1322,1324,1409,1413]
Do this in Memory of Me
—The Parish Holy Communion Programme is called “Do this in Memory of Me” and its purpose is for the parish, for the home and for the school to all play their part in your child’s spiritual development. The Sacramental Co-Ordinator of this Programme liaises with the Schools, children and their parents and the Parish Team.
Parents
On Enrollment Sunday the parents are presented to the community, invited to make a commitment to participate in the programme, renew their Baptismal Promises with the Faith Community and presented with a candle for use in family prayer.
There are 4 main commitments parents undertake to assist their children leading up to First Eucharist as part of the Programme
1)To be at Mass regularly with your child and particularly on the Sundays of the programme
2) To foster prayer at home with the children and individually
3) To enhance your participation in the programme and deepen your own understanding of the Mass, that all parents would read the THUMB Resource Book and the Grapevine Newsletter with your child
4) To reflect seriously about the celebration of this Sacrament
‘Experience tells us that the faith of children is best nourished when home, school and parish work together in partnership. Firstly and most importantly, children learn about faith in the home. Their faith is supported in school by the hard work of teachers and chaplains, and by both priests and people in the wider parish community.’
(Nurturing our Children’s Faith, 2006)