1st Communion "Extravaganza" Preparation and Education March 17th, 2003

With over 90 young St. Joan of Arc'ers signed up to receive their First Holy Communion this spring, we have needed to split them into two groups and have celebrations on May 3 & 10. But this past Monday night (St. Patrick's Day no less), a large number of the planned celebrants got together for what is appropriately billed as the Communion Extravaganza. The ever-capable Kathy Itzin(right) has coordinated and held such an event for each of the past 10 years. It seems to me that the evening provided a unique and very helpful preparation for the youngsters to take some of the mystery out of the mysterious sacrament.

My friend Brad who was attending with his daughter Frances said that the evening even helped him better understand the sacrament, and that it really made communion accessible and real. It shows the ritual as being a great expression of a larger community. Frances said she learned that communion is about coming together...it made her think of it as "come-union". Her review of the taste of the wine was not as favorable, however.

The event was a first chance to practice a song which will be sung at the ceremony, and then the evening was spent in several short "workshops" which made the group sizes a bit more manageable. I followed my son Mitchell through the process (which does not need to be in any particular order) so I invite you to follow along with us to the various "events":

• We first entered a candle-lit room where a man who identified himself as Moses had the children don "robes" and sit around the rugs in front of him. He proceeded to tell them of his people many years ago who would later become known as the Israelites. While they were in Egypt the Pharaohs used his people as slaves, but Moses then asked God to persuade the rulers to let his people go. God brought plagues on the Egyptians, bringing thousands of locusts, and turning the water blood red. The angel of death came to claim the firstborn of every family except those whom had a special mark above their door. Moses said that this Passover of his people is still celebrated with the traditional flatbread and lamb. He then passed a basket of the bread and a plate of lamb for everyone to sample. This Passover feast was what Jesus celebrated the night before he died.
• Our next session was a look at the making of the bread and wine. A woman demonstrated that grapes were crushed for their juice and then mixed with sugar and yeast. This causes bubbles and fermentation changing the juice into wine. She observed that the children were like the bubbles that will continue to enhance and change the church. Taking shafts of wheat each child contributed grains to be crushed into flour, and the kids got a chance to see what went into making bread.
• A trip to the church area gave a chance for the kids to explore the terms and "etiquette" of receiving communion. Terms like "host" and "chalice" were explained along with a primer on holding out our hands to receive the bread ("no snatching!"). The message of communion is indeed the bringing together of the people of one body in Christ. We acknowledge this in the person giving the host saying "The body of Christ" and we concur when we say yes in the form of the Greek "AMEN". At family mass the sign of peace is exchanged just before communion as our way to make peace before we receive the sacrament, as after all we cannot celebrate if we are not at peace.
• The children even had a trial run using unconsecrated hosts. This made them more comfortable with the process, and gave them an opportunity to see if they want to take the wine. The reviews of that part weren't real strong, but at least now they know! We even got a trip to the sacristy to do a scavenger hunt of the vestments, hosts, and other paraphernalia so the kids were more at ease with the ceremony.

David Rotert is a communications technician. He, his wife Sue and two boys used to walk to SJA each Sunday. They since moved to St Louis Park, but are now happy to make the drive. David and his family have been attending SJA for over 10 years. You may see him serving host or wine on Sundays, and doing the readings whenever he can help. He is also always game for a good philosophical discussion. David can be reached at dsrotert@worldnet.att.net.

There is a packet of instruction which goes to each child for use at home to study the meaning of their First Communion, but I think this pageant was an effective way to not only put the children at ease, but inspire thoughts of community and sacred gatherings. While a lifetime can be spent learning the mystery of the sacrament, these young communicants have taken a very solid first step!