Taking part in communion ceremony if not baptised

[thisisasurvivor]

Hello all

Dd is 6 and in a few years will be in a class where all the students will receive the sacrament of holy communion

Can I ask if anyone has dealt with this when their child is not baptised ?

Has anyone had their child take part in the ceremony but not the full sacrament?

Please excuse my lack of knowledge
Lapsed catholic

Only school close by to us is catholic
Don't want her to feel left out but also would like her to decide when older

Need to baptised to make their holy communion

She likely wouldn’t be the only child not taking part.

At the Catholic schools I’ve worked in no children who weren’t Catholic or not baptised took part in the ceremony. Some went along to watch their friends, but they didn’t take part. They also didn’t take part of the prep classes beforehand either.

In one school they did “this is what the other children are learning because they believe…” classes. In others they did a mix of learning about it and using the time for other stuff.

Must be baptised to take part.

I'm sure there will be other children there not taking part? Seeing as it's the only school nearby. If so perhaps they'll organise something else for them to do 🙂

Stupid question

Can she get involved and get some kind of a blessing?
And still be part of it all?

Sorry for silly question
Just wanted to check

7 in her class
They are all taking part
All baptised

Ahhh right, okay. I would speak with the school and see if they can do a blessing. I don't think that would be a problem at all. I'm sure they'll find something else that she can do to feel included on the day, even if it's helping to set up or given a special task etc.

Great thank you

Was afraid to ask in case it sounded ridiculous

Many thanks all

My kids went to a Catholic primary. They were virtually all Catholic tbf, but I do remember one girl in the class was Jewish, and she just didn’t get involved in the preparation or the church service.

Not ridiculous at all. You really won't know until you ask them. Where I am our priest is lovely and always very accommodating. Of course, it is a religious ceremony so it will run in a particular way. But, an informal part or a blessing (if she wants that) before or after the ceremony isn't out of the question 🙂

Update us if you have any luck.

She can queue up for a blessing with the rest of the congregation when they go to receive Communion.

There is normally the option to ‘go up for communion’ but instead you cross your arms across your chest 🙅 bit like this emoji. The person will be given a blessing instead. Ask if the school is intending on doing this and you should be good to go.

if they decide to go down the sacrament route it’s normally all done as a oner, baptism, communion, confession, confirmation etc all at the same time

In our school the students didn't do their actual holy communion in school time, but at the weekend. About half the class took it, and Dad's were made to do the pre stuff in RE, which really bored them out of their minds, and put them off religion forever!

That aside, at the special occasion services they went up to the priest for a blessing with the others, with arms crossed.

We had a very cool priest though, married with children, and very funny.

Ahhhh ok good to know

Thank you

Love that emjoi too

That's a great way to depict it

This.

Also not a stupid question 😀 they change things a lot over time

Sounds lovely

We have a wonderful priest

Very kind and very open about some of the reasons people in the area shy away from religion

Thank you all xxxxxx

Your DD may be able to go depending on chapel size, my primary year was 60+ kids spread over the full month of may so we only had 2 rows each for family/friends per child. As pp it’s exactly like the emoji and the priest will just say a little blessing with his hand over head (not touching). We had our chapel right next door to school so we went frequently, kids who didn’t make their sacraments just got blessings or sat back. Hope she will be able to go and support her classmates Xx

At a school DH worked at they were really mean and had a massive celebration for those making their first communion but completely excluded all the non-baptised and non-religious children from all of it. They had to remain in their classroom and not participate in any of it, treats and all!! It was awful for them - and another reason I'd never want to be catholic!

DTs school was catholic and they did FHC but it was all outside of school. Prep was at the weekends and the mass was on a Sunday.

I'm sure she could attend the mass in normal clothes (usually a Saturday) and get a blessing with the rest of the congregation but I don't think she would be allowed to participate in the actual sacrament. So she wouldn't be able to wear the white dress like her friends and would feel left out I would wager.

Terrible I hate this so much

@poptypingchef that's really. It the case here or anywhere I know of. They have to consent to confirmation for a start, the rest of it you can chose for them. Plus it would take fucking hours and hours!

oh yes it’s a lot of prep, sorry if the consent was confusing, that part was referring to the bit about if her child chooses to go through the sacraments in the future by choice.

Perhaps each diocese do it differently. When my friend was in her 20’s she made all her sacraments together. They were all done in the same mass alongside 2 others who were making their first confession, communion and confirmation (they had been baptised at birth). They had 2 closed confessions and 2 open confessions sat either side of the alter. Not sure if they still do it that way as it was a special mass not part of a normal mass so only attended as her sponsor.