Reconciliation and Holy Communion
As Catholics, we believe that the Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith: it is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Pope Francis has called it the “Sacrament of Love”.
During Year 4, our children are given the opportunity to make the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. This is a major part in the life of a Catholic. Though no one can replace the role of the parent in preparing your child for this special moment, you are not alone in this task.
The parish and school will always be ready to help and support. Our school, in its Religious Education lessons, will teach your child about Jesus, the Church, the Sacraments and especially about Reconciliation and Holy Communion.
St James Schools and our parish community work very closely together to prepare the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the First Holy Communion celebration, and parishioners will provide you and your family, along with other families, opportunities to participate in its life and to get to know your fellow parishioners better.
If you would like your child to be registered on the programme, please contact St James’ Church office.
Thank you to Carolyn and Phil our lovely volunteer parishioners from St James Church for helping the children design some wonderful artwork to decorate the church during First Holy Communion.
Visit from Deacon Peter Jones
Deacon Peter Jones visited Year 4 and brought with his a selection of vestments and other liturgical objects, which he shared and explained to the children. He also told us stories from the scriptures, helping us to understand their meaning and importance. After this, we wrote our own prayers of thanks and carefully hung them on the prayer tree. We spent some quiet time reflecting and giving thanks to God, our families, and our friends. As part of our reflection, we also prayed for those who are less fortunate that ourselves and lit candles as a symbol of hope and prayer.
We are incredibly proud of our children at St James Primary who made their First Holy Communion on Sunday 15th June. This special milestone marks an important step in their faith journey, and it was truly heartwarming to see the reverence, joy, and maturity each child displayed. Their preparation, commitment, and understanding of the significance of the sacrament were evident, and they should be very proud of themselves. Thank you to the catechists, Deacon Peter, Father Simon, Mrs Conroy, Mrs Judd and our wonderful families in supporting the children.
