The Joys of a Community Celebration: 2026 First Holy Communion Class 

This year Four kids from our religious education program will receive their First Communion. It is ever my best day in Holy Family Catholic Community as your pastor to encounter proud parents, grandparents, godparents, aunts and uncles and brothers and sisters, friends and classmates come from near and far to join their loved ones as they make an important step and beacon in their life of faith. Families plan celebrations around these times, but the most important part of the Holy Communion is really the fact that our children will receive the Body and Blood of Christ for the first time. Parents thank you for bringing your children to the altar and for providing them with witness and faith. Let us welcome the following to the table of the Lord: 

                                                   Kaydence Coykendall 

Leona Hogan 

Emma Marie Kibler  

Matthew Sick 

Holy Communion is a very special grace because in the Eucharist we receive God into our hearts.  God loves us so much that He wants to be with us always.  Love desires union.  When we love someone, we want to spend time with that person.  God loves each one of us so much that He wants to be with us all the time.  Of course, God is present everywhere, He is never absent from us; unfortunately, we are not always present to Him.  God wants us to be aware of His presence, and He wants us to think of Him often and love Him.  He wants us to spend time with Him in prayer. When we receive Holy Communion, we are joined with Jesus in a very special way.  After we receive Him in Holy Communion, we should spend time in prayer with Him and thank Him for giving Himself to us.  After we have received Holy Communion, it is good to tell Jesus whatever is on our heart.  It is good to talk to Jesus while He is in your soul.  We are never so close to God in this world as when we have just received Him in Holy Communion 

As a parish we rejoice to witness our young people receive the body and the precious blood of Jesus for the first time. Congratulations to them and welcome to the Eucharistic table. The reception of First Communion is not a private affair. It is more than a family affair. It is an event which affects the whole Community of Holy Family. That is why we have it at the parish Mass on a Sunday. The children are not only being initiated into full participation in the Mass but also welcomed into the community of faith which gathers to celebrate the Mass, and which tries to live the Eucharistic life throughout the week. All of us should be affirmed in faith by witnessing the faith of the young people who have tirelessly and with commitment worked hard for this day and who are full of excitement and joy at sharing in the banquet of the Lord for the first time 

It is important that First Communion not be Last Communion. Parents have a serious obligation to bring their children to Mass every weekend. The beautiful faith so evident in these children today can die, if it is not cultivated. Children must learn that Mass on the weekend is important, more important than sports, shopping, or the many other things that can occupy free time. Parents who neglect to bring their children to Mass are teaching them that Mass is not as important as these other things. Also, Religious formation does not end with First Communion. Children and youth should continue to receive Faith Formation in every one of their formative years. Faith has to develop with the child. It should not be fixed at a second (or other) grade level. Parents would not think of ending their children’s secular education at the second grade. Why should education in the Faith be any different? Actually, our formation in the faith should continue long after our school days are over. We should never stop growing in our knowledge and appreciation of our Faith. 

When children receive the Eucharist for the first time, it represents the culmination of a lot of preparation. Many people help our children on their way to their First Communion Day. It’s always an inspiration to watch the intense gaze of their eyes and solemn gestures as they take Our Lord into their hearts for the first time. The joy of the occasion of First Communion goes far beyond the Children and their families. The teachers who have prepared them for this day also enjoy watching these children receive this sacrament, knowing that this part in their growth in faith has been accomplished, and wondering what these children will become one day after being so close to Jesus at this point of their life. We congratulate the parents who have persevered in providing Christian education for their children. We thank the teachers and catechists who have given of their time and talent to see that these children are properly prepared. The children are also enrolled in our Faith Formation program and instructed by our volunteer catechists. I know they join me in thanking their teachers and catechists, Tiese Bowen and Marty Wilson who helped them prepare for their First Communion. They gave many hours of dedicated and generous service as well as a good example of their lives. A big thank you to Rachele Sick our Director of Faith Formation, for her patience and dedication in serving our parish. And finally, thanks to all of you, the people of Holy Family Catholic Community, whose presence, prayer and patience provide the prayerful context for these wonderful celebrations of grace.  I hope that every time we receive Holy Communion, we do so as if it were our first time, as if it were our last time, and as if it were our only time!  I especially extend a warm welcome to the family and friends of our First Eucharist candidates who are here with us today to celebrate and share the joys of this memorable event. God blessings be upon you all, Fr. John 

Mission Statement

To live the Great Commandment
Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  And
‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
Matthew 22: 37-38