Tasting the bread and wine before First Communion

[Em_in_FL]

I did this at my first communion back in 2nd grade!
I think it really helped so that the kids weren’t shocked and could concentrate on the moment rather than the taste.

 

[Erich]

Our parish does this as well. The altar bread can be just as foreign of a taste as the wine; it’s good to make sure they’re prepared.

I’ve heard it said that it’s easier to convince First Communicants that the altar bread is the Body of Christ than it is to convince them that it’s bread

 

[SMHW]

Well, children have been practicing receiving the unconsecrated hosts at least since I made my first communion back in the 1960s. But back then it was more about learning to receive on the tongue. I remember Sr. Mary Jean Patrice working over and over with my friend because she was not correctly extending her tongue. This must have been a Catholic school thing because my friends who attended CCD looked at me like I was hallucinating when I recounted this story.

So I think it’s a good idea to practice with children, especially for receiving from the chalice.

 

[Kuryakyn]

We did a practice for First Communion as well, although for us, it was more to give us some practice in swallowing the bread (I’m Ukrainian Catholic, and the leavened bread is a little different!). We were taught that it’s best not to chew any of it, since small bits might get stuck in your teeth. I don’t know if anyone else here learned it like that?

 

[Ravenchica09]

I remember practising as well. I remember betting with my friend who would make a face first after drinking the wine and I cheated because I just pretend to drink the wine… hehe I was a ornery child

 

[nana3]

Thanks to all of your response. Who knows maybe I too practiced and don’t remember. I must not have good teachers for I did not know that Jesus was in the consecrated host and wine until 23 years old. My parents did not reinforce it either I guess.

I have allowed my daughter to taste wine and she liked it so she should not be surprised with that, but the idea of bringing home unconsecrated host is a great idea that I will mention to the DRE. She is new as a DRE, first year, and is open to anything.

Thanks to all of you. God Bless.

 

[redtech]

We practiced too. I remember our teacher bringing out a big ice cream bucket full of hosts. However, they practiced with grape juice and didn’t say anything about it tasting different at our first communion. I didn’t like grape juice either but I remember distinctly taking that first sip of wine. I’m glad my maiden name started with C and I was near the front of the line. All the rest of the class saw every one elses reaction to it and had to wait their turn with dread. That was only 1 of the 2 times I took the wine. The other was at my wedding.

I not a big wine drinker. I always thought it was kind of funn as an Altar Girl, after communion when the ministers of communion would stand in the sacristy and drink the left over wine. They were always laughing.

 

[ThyKingdomCome]

I think it’s a great idea to give the kids one taste of wine, and then maybe practice a little more with juice.

As for the hosts, I think they still ought to practice receiving on the tongue as SMHW described. For one, it is still considered “the norm” in the rubrics, so we should all know how to do it. But also, most parents end up receiving on the tongue at some point in their lives because their hands are full with babies, and we often don’t know how to do it right. I recently dropped the blessed sacrament, probably because I didn’t stick my tongue out far enough. It’s awkward if you don’t practice. Everyone should know how to do it both ways.