Jesus said, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; . . . he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him."  John 6:51, 54

The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life."  Catechism of Catholic Church #1324

Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper. Ministries, and works of apostolates, flow from and are oriented toward the Holy Eucharist.  At the moment of Consecration, during the Mass, the "gifts" of bread and wine are transformed (transubstantiated) into the actual Body and Blood of Christ, at the Altar.  This means that they are transformed both spiritually and, actually (substantially), transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ at the Altar. The elements retain the appearance of bread and wine, but are indeed the actual Body and Blood of Christ -- the actual physical presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.  Christ, his body, blood, soul and divinity, is present truly and substantially in the Holy Eucharist under the appearances of both the bread and the wine. We worship Christ present in the Eucharist. The Eucharist builds the unity of the faithful, intensifies our union with Christ, separates us from sin, is the sign of the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God in the age to come, and unites us with those in heaven who now are experiencing the joy of complete union with God. 

Children should be enrolled in the second grade of school in order to be enrolled in the First Reconciliation/First Communion class of St. Mary's Religious Education Program.  
 
For children who seek Sacramental reception and whose parents are in RCIA preparation, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Children (RCIC) is offered.
  
For more information on the Sacramental preparation for children, please contact the Director of Faith Formation, Patricia St. Amour at 254-773-4541.

For adults, First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion are among the rites of the Rite of Christian Initiation in Adults (RCIA).  In most cases, adults, who seek sacramental reception will enter into preparation for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).