First Communion Sunday!  Twenty-three children gather in the Chapel the morning of the big day.  They have been preparing for this moment for TWO years!








Lining up for the procession in the west vestibule, the children are ready--and a little nervous!


At the beginning of the Mass, the children gather around the altar.  The beautiful clothes they wear on their First Communion day remind them of how special they are in God's eyes.


Father Ryan sprinkles them with holy water, a reminder of the day of their baptism.




In the homily, Father Ryan talks directly to the children about the meaning of this beautiful day.




The lighting of the candles and the renewal of baptismal promises are two more reminders of baptism.  When these children were baptized, their parents and godparents made those promises for them; but now, they're old enough to say their own "I DOs."


The children present the gifts to Father Ryan.




The children exchange the sign of peace with one another, and with their catechists.










Congratulations, First Communicants!  See you next Sunday!