Finally it is time to celebrate the First Holy Communions and we have had a wonderful start. This day has been looked forward to by so many boys and girls over the past 18 months. The Communions will take place every Saturday in the month of November at 11am starting with 4th class girls in SNP on the 6th November, 3rd class girls on the 13th November, 4th class boys from Ballyroan Boys school on the 20th and 3rd class on the 27th November. The Monday prior to each Communion is a parents meeting along with their child and to date we have had two meetings for the girls. The turnout has been very good, and you can feel the impending excitement from the girls, I am sure the boys will be no different.

Fr Michael, Gill Massey and Ger Healy have worked hard alongside the teachers / principals in both schools in preparing the children and the parents for the day. The families have missed out on the usual Do This in Memory of Me programme which would have run over a number of months leading up to your First Holy Communion so it is important to ensure the preparation and ceremony is a prayerful and enjoyable experience for all.

At the meetings Fr Michael has welcomed all to the Church and spoken about their faith and the many ways we can show our faith to God. Ger Healy has talked about her experience of her First Holy Communion which was pre Vatican 2 so has been very interesting to listen to and learn about the sacrifices made at that time. The parents are then invited to speak to their own child about what they can remember of their day. An account of the Last Supper is read followed by a few minutes silence to reflect. Fr Michael has given each child a prayer card and a miraculous medal to keep in memory of their First Holy Communion.

The Parish have bought a very informative guide for families in preparing for their First Holy Communion. Due to COVID and the fact that the Do This in Memory of me Programme was unable to take place this guide is very useful to help give an understanding of the celebration of the Mass. The book is divided into eight parts, each of which focuses on a different aspect of the Mass. There is also a full list of prayers for the Mass in the booklet. We have found these to be very beneficial to the families in educating their child on the celebration of Mass.