Eucharist

The Eucharist is the ritual, sacramental action of the Church to give thanks and praise to the Father, the sacrificial memorial of Christ, and the continuing present of Christ in His Word and Spirit.  This sacrament completes our initiation into the Body of Christ.

The word eucharist comes from the Greek word meaning “to give thanks.”  The Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life.”  Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Eucharist at the Passover meal celebrated with His Apostles.  Thus, we celebrate the Eucharist in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

“By the consecration the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is brought about.  Under the consecrated species of bread and wine Christ himself, living and glorious, is present in a true, real, and substantial manner: his Body and his Blood, with his soul and his divinity.”  (cf. Council of Trent: DS 1640; 1651)

Jesus Christ invites us to receive Him in the Sacrament of the Eucharist when he said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”

As Catholics, we fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion.  We are encouraged to receive Communion devoutly and frequently.  In order to be properly disposed to receive Communion, participants should not be conscious of grave sin and normally should have fasted for one hour.  A person who is conscious of rave sin is not to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord without prior sacramental confession except for a grave reason where there is no opportunity for confession.  In this case, the person is to be mindful of the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition, including the intention of confessing as soon as possible (Code of Canon Law, canon 916).

For more information on the First Communion Preparation for children in the Religious Education Program, please click here.

For more information about our Parents' Sacramental Program, please click here.