First Holy Communion

If you are an adult seeking to receive the Sacrament of First Holy Communion, you're looking for the RCIA page.  Welcome home!

• Please register child for Religious Education classes.
• There will be a seperate registration for First Communion Preparation in the month of October/November.  Please watch the bulletin for up-to-date information.
• The child should be attending Mass on a weekly basis.
• It is very important for children to attend religious education classes every year, whether or not they need sacrament prep.  By attending every year, they are allowed the opportunity to learn and grow in their faith; providing a firm foundation to last a lifetime.
• Beginning 2023-24 school year, we will be makiing the transistion to offering the Sacrament of Confirmation in Middle School.  It will be even more important for children to attend religious education classes every year after receiving the Sacrament of First Holy Communion.

The Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of the Catholic faith. Just as without nourishing our bodies daily we would die, so too, without nourishing ourselves with the graces provided by this Sacrament, our souls would perish. The Holy Eucharist is the sacrament in which Jesus Christ, our Lord and God, becomes present in our midst. It is this sacrament which distinguishes Catholics from every other religion on earth, and it is through the Eucharist that every grace is given to the world. In short, without the Eucharist, there would be no Church. 

When a child is preparing for their First Holy Communion, attendance at weekly Mass introduces them to the person of Jesus Christ, our Lord, our God, the beginning and end of our faith. In addition, regular attendance helps the child grow in their Catholic identity and unite themselves to their fellow Catholics in prayer and community life. The most important means to foster this love of the Mass, and thus, of the faith and our God, is the example of parents. Studies have shown that if only the mother of a family attends Mass regularly, her children have a 3% chance of attending Mass regularly once they are adults. If both the father and the mother attend Mass regularly, their children have a 33% chance of attending Mass regularly once adults. The parents’ example is critical to ensuring the Faith is handed on to their children. (See the full study at www.bit.ly/Massandfamilies ).

Because Mass attendance is the essential act of Catholic worship, participation at Mass is a necessary part of preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation, along with classroom instruction. Following the directives of the Diocese of Yakima, Confirmation candidates are “judged not to be prepared for reception of Confirmation if they do not attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days and receive the Eucharist with regularity.” If parents have youth preparing to receive this sacrament, we ask that they attend Mass with them, if at all possible. If this is not possible due to sickness, family circumstances, or other conflicts, please contact St. Andrews to see if alternate transportation can be provided. As the Catechism asks of prayer, “How can the Holy Spirit be our life if our heart is far from him?”

Mass is the perfect prayer. In attending Mass, may we learn, with the saints, that “Nothing is equal to prayer; for what is impossible it makes possible, what is difficult, easy. . . For it is impossible, utterly impossible, for the man who prays eagerly and invokes God ceaselessly ever to sin.” Mass attendance and participation encourages unity, family, community, and holiness. It is how we will one day reach salvation and eternal happiness in Heaven.