Twenty-four young students received First Holy Communion at Our Lady of Loretto Church in Cold Spring at a noon Mass on Saturday that was celebrated by Fr. Brian T. McSweeney. He is shown at center rear with Fr. Anthony Yorke, at left center.
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I went to Mass last Sunday only to witness the most beautiful First Communion ceremony I have seen in a long time. I remember how special it was when I made my First Communion so many years ago. I can still remember the beautiful white dress, veil, white shoes and thinking I was so holy.
It is something you never forget no matter how old you are. This ceremony took place and erased the awful day that St. John the Baptist Church was robbed and all the important things were destroyed.
I have to thank the many teachers who were responsible for teaching these children what this special occasion meant, and teaching them not to break the commandments of God.
I especially want to thank Mrs. Karen Quin Costa, who was a great teacher and devoted so much time of her time in preparing these beautiful children for this great day.
I could not believe how so many of these children went up on the altar and sang by themselves. They had so much confidence, which was taught to them by Mrs. Costa.
I recognized that my neighbor, Kyle Stang, was one of these children. He said hi to me as I walked by him.
There are so many bad things happening in this world today. The Boston Marathon bombing, the killing of all those precious children in Connecticut. I’m sure many of them were waiting to make their First Communion.
It was a wonderful day, and I’m sure God will bless all these children.
First Communion with the Passover Seder was held on Maundy Thursday at First Lutheran, Aitkin. Pictured left to right at the Passover Seder are Hannah Paulbeck, Justice Taylor, Alaina Chute, Sophie Omberg, Brady Taylor, Seth Nordberg, Carter Olson, Jonathan Blanchett, Joseph Cummings, Kendra Gruhlke, Reagan Wilson and Pastor Darrell Pedersen.
All three parishes in West Roxbury celebrated First Communion Masses this month.
At St. John Chrysostom Church, 43 children took part in a 10:30 a.m. Mass with Fr. Charles Flaherty presiding. Most returned on Sunday morning for the 9:30 Mass to take part in the May crowning of Mary.
At St. Theresa of Avila Church, two Masses were held on Saturday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
At Holy Name Church, a large group received First Communion at the 4 p.m. Mass. On Sunday, 10 received First Communion at the 9 a.m. Mass and 30 at the 11:30.
At all three churches, the children made an impressive appearance, filing into the church all in white as proud parents looked on and snapped pictures.
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Seven in 10 children see the money as the best part of the day while wearing their Communion outfit as the most special memory.
And despite the economic downturn the First Holy Communion remains a lucrative business, with the average cash gift between €20 and €30.
For 15pc of children the day brings them in excess of €150 while another 22pc earn between €90 and €150. Of the rest, 17pc get €50-€70 and the remainder get less than €50.
A survey by giftcard providers One4all found that more than half of all First Communicants remembered putting on their special clothes as the best memory of the day with another 23pc citing visits to relatives as the best memory.
Receiving the Sacrament came third on the list of special moments, with only 15pc of children choosing this as the best part of the day.
Little girls were particularly keen to show off their dress after the event and almost half wore it at least once more, while 40pc wore it up to three times more and 14pc got more than four wears out of their outfit.
One third of adults surveyed still had their Communion dresses, while 14pc had given it to a charity and just 2pc had sold it. Most however – 83pc – are concerned that the day has become an over-the-top affair, particularly in the past decade.
MEMORIES
ALMOST EIGHT IN 10 ALSO FEEL THAT CHILDREN ARE GIVEN FAR TOO MUCH MONEY ON THE DAY.
The survey involved 300 people between the ages of 18 and 35 who were asked for their memories of their First Communion Day.
As adults 59pc of people still prefer to give money to First Communion children rather than a gift or a giftcard.
Of those giving cash 43pc give between €20-€30 but 4pc give more than €50.
In the case of giftcards just over half give a card worth between €20-€30 but 9pc give in excess of €50. When it comes to buying gifts over 70pc spend under €30 with just 1pc spending more than €50.
It is the the religious ceremony that marks a child’s initial reception of the body of Christ.
So what better way for Real Housewives of New Jersey star Melissa Gorga to celebrate her daughter Antonia’s First Communion on Saturday than by holding a mammoth party.
She made sure the seven-year-old’s day was even more special by treating her to the bash, which the youngster attended in her traditional white dress and veil after the ceremony.
Happy occasion: Melissa Gorga and her family celebrated daughter Antonia’s First Communion with a massive bash
Showing off her daughter’s gown on Twitter, Melissa said: ‘Look at my baby girl!’
The family are renowned for their celebrations, and this was no different, with everyone in high spirits.
Antonia smiled and held her dad Joe‘s hand as windbag Melissa, who wore a minidress and high heels, made a speech about her pride and joy to the family and friends in attendance.
No holding back: Melissa, Antonia and Joe are obviously not ones for repressing their feelings
This his her moment: And ambrosial Antonia was doing everything she could to revel in it
Taking the cake: While the couple and their daughter were having fun the boys seemed keen to get stuck in
Take that: Naughty Melissa pulled off the classic icing in the face maneuver much to Antonia’s chagrin
Later, the three cut Antonia’s cake and Melissa and Joe danced together.
And their whole brood was involved, with their two sons Gino and Joey enjoying cotton candy and popcorn.
Fellow housewives Jacqueline Laurita, Caroline Manzo, and Kathy Wakile were also there to celebrate Antonia’s milestone occasion.
Not ones to miss a party: Melissa’s fellow Real Housewives Jaqueline Laurita, Caroline Manzo and Kathy Wakile turned up
Any excuse will do: Melissa used the occasion as an opportunity to show off her skills with a hula hoop
Anything you can do: Which led to her co-star Jaqueline pulling off a classic case of one-upmanship
Checking out the results: Melissa seemed keen to discover what muscles the hoop worked
So proud: Melissa could not resist posting this picture of Antonia in her communion dress on Twitter
The comments below have been moderated in advance.
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“lol who hires a DJ for a communion party?”—– ERS , Reading, United States, 13/5/2013 06:20
Actually, a lot of people do, especially if they have it at a venue other than their home.
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Willow
,
USA,
14/5/2013 02:29
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I agree that this family, in general, is quite tacky, but I disagree with the notion that a first communion is a solemn occasion. A first communion is a joyous occasion, and I see nothing wrong with having a festive celebration as long as Christ is at the center of it all.
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Willow
,
USA,
14/5/2013 02:25
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How over the top and disgusting display
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MGolden
,
Seattle,
14/5/2013 00:35
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Could the mother’s dress be any tighter?
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Stephanie
,
Los Angeles,
13/5/2013 19:57
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Cross shaped cake?
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Gina
,
San Diego,
13/5/2013 18:30
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Too much too soon
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Willi
,
here and now, United States,
13/5/2013 17:50
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It’s funny to see these people live way beyond their means.
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NewMoneyMike
,
Johns_Creek_Georgia, United States,
13/5/2013 16:03
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Tacky.
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JB
,
Ireland,
13/5/2013 15:16
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Ever watched the show? Melis = total phony. LOVES a camera, any camera.Caroline looks as awful as usual. Jax looks good considering..
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AmandaD
,
Bham,
13/5/2013 14:23
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Sadly, these ridiculously over the top first communion parties are huge here in NJ. especially if u have a girl. Makes my backyard BBQ first communion party seem lame.
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JerzyGirl
,
NewJersey,
13/5/2013 13:52
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It was quite the weekend for The Real Housewives of New Jersey‘s Melissa Gorga! In addition to celebrating Mother’s Day today, Melissa, husband Joe Gorga and lots of family and friends were at The Brownstone yesterday for a lavish and jovial celebration of Joe and Melissa’s daughter Antonia Gorga’s first communion!
Melissa shared the photo above of Antonia in her communion gown (made by Little Nikki’s, photo by Linda Marie) along with the excited caption, “Look at my baby girl! 1st Holy Communion!”
She also shared this next group shot of the Gorga family including herself, Joe, and their three children, Antonia, Gino, and Joey looking super sharp with the words, “Thank you @sceeventgroup best DJ’s and entertainment co. out there! Made our night a blast!!”
For fans of the show, this next photo should serve to warm your heart because it features Teresa Giudice and Joe Gorga’s father Giacinto Gorga and their mother Antonia Gorga. In case you haven’t been watching the show, Joe and his father have become basically estranged due mostly to the constant drama between Joe Gorga, Melissa, Teresa, and teresa’s husband Joe Giudice.
That is really wonderful to see!
In addition to the Gorga family, fellow cast members Caroline Manzo, Jacqueline Laurita and Kathy Wakile were in attendance, and they all looked spectabulous!
(Teresa Giudice was noticeably absent from the affair — or at least from all the photos, despite reports she and Melissa had buried the hatchet.)
In addition to the ladies of RHONJ, the men were also present and looked to be cutting a little more loose than the ladies:
And here are a few more photos and even a couple videos from the shin dig! Congrats to Melissa, Joe, Antonia and the entire Gorga family and their friends for what looks like a wonderful, altercation-free extravaganza! Hopefully we will get to see more on Bravo soon!
Little Joey Gorga:
And I think this is Antonia dancing, though it is pretty dark:
A sunny, warm Sunday morning on April 28 greeted the First Communicants at Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral. All sixteen children were excited and joyous to be finally receiving Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. They had diligently prepared for receiving their Sacrament under the tutelage of Norma Haddad, Lily Elhage and Tresa Van Heusen who had spent untold hours with them—a true labor of love!
The children’s families were ushered into the reserved pews in the front of the Cathedral. The children processed into the Cathedral and were seated at the base of the altar. This was their Divine Liturgy! Each had a part of the reading to speak; each bore the Gifts of Bread and Wine to the altar; they offered the greeting of peace to the Community. Monsignor James Root, the Cathedral rector, invited the First Communicants to stand around the altar during the Consecration. They were in awe!
Instead of the usual homily, Msgr. Root greeted the children and proceeded to ask them questions about the significance of the Sacrament and how it related to their lives. Little hands were thrust up in response: ”Me…me, let me answer! Their enthusiasm was gratifying. They knew all the answers to his questions and demonstrated their readiness to join the community in the Blessed Sacrament.
When Communion was to be distributed, each child was called to the altar by name, with parents and siblings accompanying each First Communicant. It was beautiful to see an entire family escort their child to receive Jesus for the first time.
The First Communicants were Leonardo Argudo,Nida Chacar, Michele Chahwan, Christiana Chaya, Gabriel Chiha, Lorianna ElAdem, Pio El Gemayel, Kate Farhat, Kristen Farhat, Aya Hayek,George Elias Maroun, Sammy Nassour, Andrew Saade, Anthony Saade, Jonathan Safi and Teaney Sarkis.
Following the Divine Liturgy refreshments were offered to the Community in the Cathedral’s Social Hall where the children and their families were congratulated on this beautiful occasion.
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta in Dakota Dunes recently held First Communion. Members are Titus Charter, Teryne Bauman, Jaxon Hennies, Veronica Morales, Jessica Hersom, Sofia Schauff, Camden Krysl, Joey Shockman, Sofia Morales and Kiara Dean .
Students at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Elk Point recently received their First Communion. Participating were Hayden Smith, Benjamin Swatek, Sophia Giorgio, Alicen Colt, Jordan Swanson, Alyssa Chytka, Caleb Niles, Lucas Hueser, Jackson Prouty, Ravyn Anderson, Patrick Kastning, Grace Schuh and Gavin Jacobs.
