Story About Blessed Imelda and Her First Communion

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http://net-abbey.org/imelda.htm

“As spring approached, the sisters, who perhaps thought that they had succeeded in diverting Imelda’s “childish fancy” to go to Communion with the grown-ups, were a bit startled when she asked again, shortly before the feast of the Ascension, to receive her First Holy Communion… When the chaplain was consulted, he agreed with the sisters and responded with no hesitation that Imelda was much too young.” But then… (from Nashvilledominican.org site)
 
Ah, the patroness whose story you really shouldn’t tell to the people she looks after (kids preparing for First Holy Communion) 😮
 
Usagi said:
Ah, the patroness whose story you really shouldn’t tell to the people she looks after (kids preparing for First Holy Communion) 😮
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I have to agree. I’m not usually a “Think of the children!” person, but you do not want to tell a bunch of First Communicants who are 6, 7, 8 years old a story about a girl who dies right after she receives her First Communion. That would scare the peewodden out of them, same way as kids in my day used to be terrified by those stories the nuns told about how if you chewed the Host, then Jesus would bleed in your mouth.
 
Read that story in one of the “American Cardinal Readers” when I was about 10. Made me feel bad because it kinda set a standard that I could never live up to.
 
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The First Communion homily, every year, was the account of St Tarsicius and his martyrdom.

The children would sit there and listen with so much attention, they understood in that moment how very precious is the Eucharist and that children could exhibit lives of great courage.

I miss that pastor.
 
This story to me is the best for First Communicants:
In reading the life of St Clare of Assisi, it is written that in 1224, as Emperor Frederick II troops came to plunder Assisi (because Frederick II wanted to take the Papal States), St Clare took the host from the chapel and went out to meet them with the Blessed Sacrament on her hands. Suddenly a mysterious terror seized the enemies, who fled without harming anybody in the city.
 
Oooh, I like that one.

And while it’s another story of a young saint who died, he didn’t die from receiving his First Communion, which is the part of Blessed Imelda’s story that suggests saving for after the kids have had their sacrament.
 
St. Tarcisius is a much better story. He is like an adventure hero. He stood up to bad guys and willingly gave his life defending the precious Eucharist. This is similar to the movies and cartoons and books children already watch and read about brave heroes and knights. The fact that he was practically a child himself makes him relatable.

That’s way different from a girl who receives the Eucharist and drops dead on the spot.
I knew children among my schoolmates and friends who would have had nightmares over that type of story.
 
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Once I drew a picture of that for art class, but the teacher never gave it back.
 
St Clare’s is a great story and I think one that has not happened again in history.
 
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