The he took bread, blessed it, and gave it to them saying "This is my body, which will be given for you.  Do this in memory of me." (Luke 22)

The Eucharist, the Mass, is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time, it is the source from which all the Church's power flows.

The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's Passion, that is, the work of salvation accomplished by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus; a work made present by the liturgical action.  It is Christ himself, the eternal high priest of the New Covenant, who, acting through the ministry of the priest, offers the Eucharistic sacrifice to God.   And it is the same Christ, present under the species of bread and wine, who is the offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice.

In keeping with the 3rd Commandment, Catholics have an obligation to participate in Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever;…Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and…remains in me and I in him. (John 6:51, 54, 56)

 

Anyone who desires to receive Christ in Eucharistic communion must be in the state of grace. Anyone aware of having sinned mortally must not receive communion without having received absolution in the sacrament of penance. (CCC 1415)

The Church warmly recommends that the faithful receive Holy Communion when they participate in the celebration of the Eucharist; she obliges them to do so at least once a year. (CCC 1417)

The Director of Religious Education coordinates our Parish First Communion program which includes 2nd grade students from IHM school, home-school, and our parish religious education programs.