First Communion!

Today was Hannah’s  First Communion.  It was a joyful occasion – thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating, as well as those who were with us in prayer.  Before Mass it was cloudy and a bit drippy out, but afterwards, the sun came out and it was gorgeous:

Hannah was dressed in a beautiful gown that Aunt Debbie had made for cousin Tricia’s First Communion years ago…Tricia’s graduating from college this month. 

MANY people complimented her on it, and she looked quite lovely.  I may be somewhat biased. 

Last night, as I was lying in bed and trying to go to sleep, I found myself thinking of how exactly to do the hairstyle we’d decided on.  At which point I told myself to GO TO SLEEP ALREADY!

I listened to myself, and I was able to pull off the hairstyle Hannah and I had discussed, thanks to the practice I’ve been getting with hairstyles recently.  Hannah, recognizing the price that beauty sometimes demands, said it was worth the pain (I’m not sure it was all that painful, but I think there were a couple of pulls) and the long time it took (which was about 10-15 minutes), because she really liked how it came out. 

Yesterday Hannah and I went for First Communion practice and to make flower baskets and banners to decorate the church for the occasion.  Each child made a banner for the end of his or her pew. 

Hot glue guns are fun!  Hannah’s banner has the Eucharist, an angel, and two of her favorite saints, Our Lady, Queen of All Saints, and St. Therese of Lisieux.  Also roses and a very lovely ribbon border that had roses on it.

We also had a great time with the flower arrangements.  Ours was made from flowers from our yard:  tulips, bluebells, and lilacs.  I don’t have a picture, but it was really quite pretty.

Fr. Daniel celebrated the Mass and Fr. Christopher preached, and  they both did a fantastic job of highlighting the importance of the Eucharist and our relationship with Jesus.  Fr. Daniel tends to emphasize how little he can relate to children, but he was really eloquent and not at all difficult to understand.  He told them that their Baptism day and their First Communion day are the two most important days of their lives because of the relationship they are building with Jesus, and that they should take care to nurture that relationship their whole lives.  Fr. Christopher preached on how we can easily miss things that we’re not expecting to see (because it was the reading about the disciples on the road to Emmaus), so we should expect to meet Jesus in the Eucharist, as well as in the people around us, so that we can see Him there.  It was a most beautiful Mass.

There were photographers taking family photos before the big event, so we’re hoping those came out.  Simeon had awakened early and was not impressed by most things this morning, so I don’t think he smiled for any of the pictures.  However, given his recent track record with “smiling,” we might be okay with that.  At any rate, maybe soon you’ll get to see a picture of all of us dressed up and all together, smiling or not. 

We had a celebratory gathering this afternoon.  No pictures were taken, but a good time was had by all.  Someone gave Hannah a book, though, so about 3/4 of the way through, she disappeared into her new book.

A couple of quotes from Hannah about the day:

“First Communion is like a birthday, only better, because you have Jesus inside of you.”

“I feel joyful and solemn.”

“I can hardly believe that I get to go receive the Eucharist EVERY TIME now!”

All in all, it was a wonderful day.  We are so blessed in our Faith and our family and our community, and are so happy to have Hannah as a communicant now!