“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.” Mt 26:26-28.

Catechism

“At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet ‘in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.’” (CCC 1322-1323)

At Church of the Resurrection

The Archdiocese of Washington requires a two-year preparation in anticipation of receiving the sacrament of First Eucharist. At Resurrection, students begin their religious education in first grade and conclude with the celebration of First Eucharist in May of the second grade year. First Eucharist Preparation is required and takes place in our Religious Education program. If a child is older (3rd grade through HS) and has not received Baptism, First Eucharist and or Confirmation please contact Helene Stever, Director of Religious Education, to enroll in our Special Sacramental classes for older students (RCIC).

FIRST EUCHARIST PREPARATION

The Eucharist is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist). Sharing in the Eucharist for the first time involves entry into a new phase in a person’s faith journey in which s/he enters more deeply into relationship with God and the Catholic Christian Community. Initiation into the Catholic Church in this respect, entails taking on more deeply a Catholic identity of discipleship in Christ. In fact, it means embracing more significantly a life lived in imitation of Christ in conjunction with the whole Catholic Christian Community which is the Body of Christ.

Because the Office of Religious Education fully recognizes parents as the primary educators of their children, it embraces their role in the educational process and provides a format for parental involvement in the Sacramental Preparation Process. In this regard the First Eucharist Program incorporates a multi-dimensional approach to Sacramental Preparation that includes an emphasis on parent catechesis with a view toward parent – child interactive learning, and total family participation.