HomeWedding Information First Holy Communion

MEANING AND CEREMONY

Children baptised as Catholics receive First Holy Communion at the age of seven - this is thought to be the age of reason, when a child is old enough to participate in the life of the church. If the chld hasn't been baptised into the faith, they will usually undergo a baptism ceremony shortly before taking Holy Communion.

At this ceremony, they will receive the sacrament of the Eucharist, symbolising Christ's body and blood. This ceremony harks back to the events of the Last Supper, at which Jesus told his disciples that the bread they were eating was his body, and the wine was his blood. The ceremony involved taking a wafer to symbolise the body of Christ and sipping wine from a chalice to symbolise imbibing his blood.

First Holy Communion is a very important occasion for Catholic families, signifying a rite of passage into the body of the church. It's usually accompanied by a family gathering or party, and the child who's receiving Holy Communion for the first time will wear special clothes, usually white. Girls wear grown-up, almost bridal dresses and often a veil attached to a headdress, often with white gloves. Boys will often wear military-style dress uniforms, but the dress code is always formal and sober.

To underline the solemnity of the occasion, children will receive gifts of a religious nature - rosaries, prayer books, icons and religious statues.

Henry Kaye offers a range of beautiful understated girl's clothing for her first Holy Communion.

Click for more Holy Communion articles.