Eucharist

The Eucharist

The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and indeed the Church’s entire ministry, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the holy Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself.

The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ’s Passover: that is, of the work of salvation accomplished by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. In the Mass, the limits of time and space collapse, and the faithful are united with Christ’s saving work through the liturgical action. It is Christ himself, acting through the ministry of the priests, who offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. And it is the same Christ, really present under the appearance of bread and wine, who is the offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice.

In the Eucharistic celebration the faithful are not only united with the Church throughout the world, but they are also united with the heavenly liturgy, and in so doing they anticipate eternal life, when God will be all in all.

For those who have been brought up Catholic, the celebration of First Holy Communion generally takes place during Year 4. The candidates are prepared through the parish school in collaboration with the parish, or, for those at non-Catholic schools, preparation is conducted through the parish’s after-school Chi Rho program. For more information about the Chi Rho program, please contact Helen Lesniak through the parish office.

Adults who have not yet received Holy Communion most commonly receive the sacrament for the first time during the Easter Vigil, after a period of preparation known as the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). This often coincides with the reception of the sacraments of Baptism (for those who aren’t yet baptised) and Confirmation. For more information about our parish’s RCIA program, click here.