If you are the parent of a second grader and would like information on First Eucharist, please contact Mary Fortunate at St. Basil (586) 772-5434.
Teens and adults wishing to celebrate first Eucharist also should contact the office.
“For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” –
-1 Corinthians 11:23-26
“Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” –
-Luke 22:19-20
“The Eucharist is the ‘summit’ of Christian initiation and all apostolic activity, because the Sacrament presupposes membership in the communion of the Church. At the same time, it is the ‘source,’ because the Sacrament is nourishment for the Church’s life and mission.” — Vatican II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 47
The Eucharist is what we do and who we are as a Catholic parish community. Each Sunday we gather to celebrate the Eucharist and commemorate the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. We believe that the Eucharist we celebrate is the true and living presence of Jesus among us.
We are challenged as Catholics to, as St. Augustine said, “become what we receive,” in the Eucharist. Eucharist is celebrated to sustain us but it also propels us to go back into our lives and strive to bring Christ’s presence into our homes, work places and schools.
The Eucharist is reserved in our parish church. This ancient custom of the Church began so that people who were not able to join the Christian community for the celebration of the Eucharist could receive it in their homes at a later time. Great devotion to Christ’s presence in the Eucharist arose and the practice of praying in the presence of the reserved Eucharist grew and continues to this day. Catholics commit themselves to celebrate the Eucharist on the Lord’s day. Personal practice and devotion also may inspire people to participate in the celebration of the Eucharist on a daily basis. As a sacrament of initiation, the Eucharist brings people into fuller communion with the Christian family. First Eucharist may be celebrated as early as the second grade. The Eucharist can also be celebrated for the first time anytime after that age.
