Sunday, May 11 is Mother’s Day across the country, and it is First Communion Day at St. James at the 11 am Mass.  Throughout much of my priesthood it was a “settled practice” to refrain from scheduling First Communion on Derby or Mother’s Day weekends.  The idea was that a First Communion with the traditional presents and parties would interfere with either Derby or Mother’s Day.  In years when Easter fell later in April, most parishes had to schedule First Communion with an extremely limited number of available weekends.  This caused numerous issues with families who were celebrating First Communion in several parishes.

Since we don’t have Mass on Saturdays at St. James, Derby was not an issue, but Mother’s Day was a possible issue.  Once I began to ask the parents who had children preparing for sacraments, I discovered that no one minded at all if we happened to celebrate sacraments of initiation on Mother’s Day.  Several mothers told me that as mothers they felt honored that their children were being initiated into the church on Mother’s Day.

This year, Mother’s Day was the best available day for the school as well as for the families.  Since many students at St. James School are not Catholic, you will see different grades and ages instead of the usual group of second grade Catholic boys and girls.  Every one of the students will also be confirmed the same day they receive First Communion.  Two of our seven students are already baptized. The remaining five will be baptized at our font, followed by all seven students being confirmed, and later, all seven receiving First Communion.  These students have already celebrated their First Reconciliation during Lent.

Most of you are used to seeing First Communion as a stand-alone event.  This is the case in most of our local Catholic schools. Students in those schools were baptized Catholic as infants (before the age of seven).  Anyone baptized Catholic at the age of seven or greater always is confirmed and receives First Communion in the same liturgy.  Our two previously baptized students are becoming Catholic by being confirmed and receiving First Communion.

It may look different than any local First Communion you have attended, but actually receiving the sacraments at once is the norm worldwide.  I think it will be easier to see the connection of the three sacraments of initiation by seeing them together.  Congratulations to these students as they become one with us as Catholics on Mother’s Day. Blessings, too, on their mothers who brought them to this day!