First Holy Communion twice?

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Not really but here is the situation-we have a child who’s father is being sent out of the country. He will miss her FHC. Everyone, our priest, DRE and her RE teacher (me), are in agreement she is ready to receive. The problem is she may not be able to participate in the FHC Mass in the spring according to our priest. Why not? I mean, there is nothing EXTRA special about FHC other than it’s the kids’ first time. We all receive the same Precious Body at that Mass, right? I’ve know others, including children, who have received FHC with just the hoopla of receiving Christ.😉 I love our priest and have no desire to go against him but I need to know if there is a real reason or not. Neither the family nor I would ask him to break any rules.
 
tuescat said:
Not really but here is the situation-we have a child who’s father is being sent out of the country. He will miss her FHC. Everyone, our priest, DRE and her RE teacher (me), are in agreement she is ready to receive. The problem is she may not be able to participate in the FHC Mass in the spring according to our priest. Why not? I mean, there is nothing EXTRA special about FHC other than it’s the kids’ first time. We all receive the same Precious Body at that Mass, right? I’ve know others, including children, who have received FHC with just the hoopla of receiving Christ.😉 I love our priest and have no desire to go against him but I need to know if there is a real reason or not. Neither the family nor I would ask him to break any rules.
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Can I ask why you would want this?

She will receive her First Holy Communion, why must it be at a special Mass?
 
So sorry, I’m not being clear. We want her to receive before her dad is shipped out but still be able to continue to come to class and participate in the FHC Mass in the spring with the rest of the class. Does that make sense? It is a big celebration with the white dresses and the processing First Communicants and all and reception afterwards. My guess is the family will opt to have her receive early even if she doesn’t get to participate but barring her from that day seems petty without a reason.

Thanks for helping me.
 
tuescat said:
Not really but here is the situation-we have a child who’s father is being sent out of the country. He will miss her FHC. Everyone, our priest, DRE and her RE teacher (me), are in agreement she is ready to receive. The problem is she may not be able to participate in the FHC Mass in the spring according to our priest. Why not? I mean, there is nothing EXTRA special about FHC other than it’s the kids’ first time. We all receive the same Precious Body at that Mass, right? I’ve know others, including children, who have received FHC with just the hoopla of receiving Christ.😉 I love our priest and have no desire to go against him but I need to know if there is a real reason or not. Neither the family nor I would ask him to break any rules.
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I don’t see why the DRE would opt to break with norm in the case of this particular girl and not have her receive first Holy Communion with the rest of her Communion class. Whatever decision is made, it must be done with the best interest of the girl in mind.

I would have a difficult time denying her the celebration (what you refer to as hoopla) typically associated with a child’s first Holy Communion. Remember, first Communion is not just a spiritual celebration, but an outward, communal celebration, too. It marks an extremely significant advancement in a young Catholic’s development within the Church. It’s worth the hoopla.
 
More info–sorry I wasn’t more clear. We’re trying to get it done early because her dad will be out of the country for one year with no chance to come home. He’s military.

I’m just going to keep my mouth shut on the hoopla surrounding FHC. Let me just say that a good number of those kids won’t receive again until Christmas. A few won’t ever receive again.😦
 
tuescat said:
More info–sorry I wasn’t more clear. We’re trying to get it done early because her dad will be out of the country for one year with no chance to come home. He’s military.

I’m just going to keep my mouth shut on the hoopla surrounding FHC. Let me just say that a good number of those kids won’t receive again until Christmas. A few won’t ever receive again.😦
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In that case, it might be discussed with the parish’s pastor and arrangements made for her to receive her first Holy Communion early. She can wear a communion dress if she likes, and at communion time, simply approach the altar with her father and mother to receive from the celebrant before anyone else. It might also be appropriate to run a spot in the parish bulletin, recognizing her.

I do believe that one could make an argument that it is more important that she receive her first Communion early with both her mother and father present–the prime catechists of the domestic church–rather than with everyone else, especially if the her catechists and the DRE believe her to be ready.
 
we have had kids receive by themselves at a mass not with all the kids. I rather like it because the focus is not on the kids but on what the kid is doing…receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. So often First Communion masses become a big show, and as you said, many of these kids won’t be coming to Mass again for quite awhile, so it makes it even more of a show. I say ask if your child can dress up and have the priest mention that they have a First Communion at Mass and then have a nice dinner out with family.

Don’t get me started on receptions.
 
Back when I received FHC (early 70’s) we received one Sunday at Mass with just our family. No hoopla.

I agree that it does seem petty to bar this child from her class’s FHC celebration just because she received earlier. I hope that she is able to have the best of both worlds - receiving while her dad is in the states, celebrating with her family, and celebrating with her classmates.
 
tuescat said:
So sorry, I’m not being clear. We want her to receive before her dad is shipped out but still be able to continue to come to class and participate in the FHC Mass in the spring with the rest of the class. Does that make sense? It is a big celebration with the white dresses and the processing First Communicants and all and reception afterwards. My guess is the family will opt to have her receive early even if she doesn’t get to participate but barring her from that day seems petty without a reason.

Thanks for helping me.
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There would be nothing wrong with her participating with her class. Once she receives her First Holy Communion, before her dad ships out, she is free to receive at any Mass she attends thereafter. She should be welcome to participate in the additional “rites” of the First Communion class.
 
tuescat said:
Not really but here is the situation-we have a child who’s father is being sent out of the country. He will miss her FHC. Everyone, our priest, DRE and her RE teacher (me), are in agreement she is ready to receive. The problem is she may not be able to participate in the FHC Mass in the spring according to our priest. Why not? I mean, there is nothing EXTRA special about FHC other than it’s the kids’ first time. We all receive the same Precious Body at that Mass, right? I’ve know others, including children, who have received FHC with just the hoopla of receiving Christ.😉 I love our priest and have no desire to go against him but I need to know if there is a real reason or not. Neither the family nor I would ask him to break any rules.
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Perhaps it’s the question you’re asking the pastor. If he is saying that she can’t receive First Holy Communion twice, well that simply makes sense because the second time won’t be a “first.”

Have you asked him if and how she may participate in the Mass along with the rest of her class, rather than asking “can she receive FHC twice?” It might just come down to a choice of words.
 
acadian said:
Back when I received FHC (early 70’s) we received one Sunday at Mass with just our family. No hoopla.

I agree that it does seem petty to bar this child from her class’s FHC celebration just because she received earlier. I hope that she is able to have the best of both worlds - receiving while her dad is in the states, celebrating with her family, and celebrating with her classmates.
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DD First Communion was like that. We were all responsible for preparing our own children and when we felt they were ready we took them to the Padre for an interview. If in his judgment they were ready, they received Communion the next time they went to Mass. Their name was mentioned in the bulletin. Then, near the end of the school year, we had all of them come together as a group at one Mass and then we had a reception for them. Most had already celebrated with their family.
 
Thanks for the help. Actually, I was told she couldn’t receive FHC twice. Anyway, I’m going to make him a nice plate of something and talk to him next week. He is a good and loving priest but not comfortable with kids–even though kids just adore him. I’ll ask the BVM to help him see a child’s perspective on it all. I trust it will all work out and I’ll cry with joy twice this year instead of once!

Thanks and God bless all who helped! (most esp Bro Rich!)
 
tuescat said:
This is amazing! Oh, how I wish we could get this going at our parish!
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It was an interesting little program/process. There was a workbook that we did with the kids and it was all based on Mass. Then, at various times during the year there were gatherings of all the families with kids in preparation. All these gatherings involved a meal and a liturgy.

The Padre even came to our home and celebrated Mass and DD received her first communion at home, surrounded by family and a family friend. Today I wouldn’t do it that way, just because I understand better joining the community at the Table of the Lord for the first time. But I didn’t know as much 24 years ago and when he offered, I accepted.

At the time we lived in an area with a large rural population. They were often miles and miles away from a center where they could get catechesis so the diocese had set up this mail-in catechetical program.

Our parish was a military one so not rural but we used the same program simply because there was no one available to teach a catechetical program and the Base school didn’t teach religion. That was actually the only time any of our kids went to a military dependents’ school.
 
My husband was welcomed into the Catholic community on the Easter Vigil two weeks before my daughter’s class received First Communion. Because it seemed such a special thing to do, the priest thought it would be great for our daughter to also receive her FHC with him.

But he also allowed her to join in the celebration with her classmates. It just seemed appropriate. As an earlier poster noted, there is a community aspect to this, too.

So I don’t quite understand, either.
 
tuescat said:
More info–sorry I wasn’t more clear. We’re trying to get it done early because her dad will be out of the country for one year with no chance to come home. He’s military.

I’m just going to keep my mouth shut on the hoopla surrounding FHC. Let me just say that a good number of those kids won’t receive again until Christmas. A few won’t ever receive again.😦
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Thanks for the reply. Sorry if my question seemed a bit off.

I will blame it on the medication and the two wisdom teeth I had extracted.
 
Prayers for quick healing, Bro. David! Remember, no straws for awhile!🙂
 
ByzCath said:
Thanks for the reply. Sorry if my question seemed a bit off.

I will blame it on the medication and the two wisdom teeth I had extracted.
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oooo I am having a wisdom tooth extracted next Friday. Not looking forward to the pain, but pain meds sound good. Keeping the weekend free just in case. Hopefully I will be able to go to work that Sunday.
 
Phemie said:
It was an interesting little program/process. There was a workbook that we did with the kids and it was all based on Mass. Then, at various times during the year there were gatherings of all the families with kids in preparation. All these gatherings involved a meal and a liturgy.
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Sounds like the Brusselman’s program. That was very popular around that time.
 
I guess I am not seeing the problem. Why the child cannot make her first holy communion at a regular Sunday Mass, with her family before her father deploys is beyond my comprehension. I also cannot understand why, if there is also a special Mass planned for her class at school or CCD, when all or most of the kids will be making their first communions, she cannot participate at that time, and wear a white dress or whatever she wishes.

I cannot understand why the pastor and DRE would create a problem where none exists.
 
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