“The holy Eucharist completes Christian initiation. Those who have been raised to the dignity of the royal priesthood by Baptism and configured more deeply to Christ by Confirmation participate with the whole community in the Lord’s own sacrifice by means of the Eucharist. At the Last Supper, on the night He was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of His Body and Blood. This He did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until He should come again, and so to entrust to His beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of His death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church)
The Eucharist, also referred to as Holy Communion, is the central part of the Mass for Catholics. It is at this time that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. As Catholics, we believe that the Eucharist is not merely a sign or symbol, but that Jesus is truly present.
At Sacred Heart, we celebrate the Mass and the Eucharist daily. Please visit our Mass Information for times.
If you have not received the Sacrament of First Eucharist, Sacred Heart has two programs available:
- For Children and Youth, we have a program for the development and deepening of our children’s faith, including preparation for First Holy Communion.
- For Adults who have never been Baptized and/or come from another faith tradition, we encourage you to participate in our Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults program.
