irst Eucharist — The Sacrament Anew for All the Faithful
It is time to once again welcome our young people receiving one or more of the Sacraments of Initiation during the Easter Season. At our Easter Vigil on March 31st, six of our young people were baptized, and along with two others, were confirmed and received 1st Eucharist. This weekend at the St. Albert The Great Church 5:00 pm and Our Lady of the Rosary 10:30 am Masses, twenty-three more young people will receive their 1st Eucharist. They have worked diligently over the past year to prepare themselves for this special day, and they eagerly look forward to that moment when they will join the rest of the community in the Eucharistic Banquet. (Our Hispanic Community will celebrate 1st Eucharist on May 20th at OLR 9:00 am Mass.)
As we witness these beautiful Children of God receiving the sacrment for the first time, let us re-embrace Eucharist as the amazing and miraculous gift that it is for each of us. At each and every Mass, a miracle happens, and Jesus becomes fully present to us in the gathered assembly, in the Word that is proclaimed, in the person of the priest who presides, and, most importantly, in the bread and wine that become His Precious Body and Precious Blood. This is what Jesus asked us to do, and in so doing we are transformed. Let us embrace this beautiful sacrament with a newness of heart and re-commitment to our faith.
Susan Lee Olsen, Director of Catechetical Ministry