Catholics - tell me about your first communion....

[MrsStig]

How old were you, and what sort of party did you have afterwards?

I was 6 and we had a lunch in the church hall afterwards for all the first communion children.

No family party or anything like that - wasn't really the thing in 1973

I was 7 - and had chickenpox!

No party either.

Thanks, DS has his next year, and I've never been to a first communion party so wasn't sure what to do (DH is Catholic I'm not, but guess who has to organise the party!)I know the church puts on sandwhiches afterwards, so mybe we can just go to that.

Anybody else?

I think I'd've been about 8 - my mum made me a white dress,I had lovely white shoes and socks and a veil with daisies on it ...and white gloves ! carried a white prayer books which was a present and we all had a little silvery First Holy Communion medal on a ribbon and a certificate. Think there mighty've been a parade down the road in front of the church. Can't remember any party though !

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I expect whoever is leading the preparation will organise something for afterwards r at least tel you what is happening!.

What happens in our parish is that there isn't anything directly after the first comunion mass as most people have a family gathering at home. We have a picnic or party a couple of weeks later for all the children and their families

DS will be 9. I realise this is late, I was just wondering if anyone else was a bit older. He's at a Catholic school, so if a bit miffed about having to do it with the younger children.

We had a party at school straight afterwards (all the HC kids together) and a fairly formal family dinner(with me in the full regalia)in a restaurant.

DD makes hers next summer and isn't at a RC school so I'm a bit stumped as to what to do, esp as family relationships are complex! At the moment I'm thinking of having a Pizza Express lunch afterwards and inviting school friends along. Family can attend the service but go their separate ways after if they feel the need.

my dd had her first communion a couple of years ago ? our family group (parents/ godparents /aunt / cousins and godparents children / grandparents) when to the pub down the road from the church (in a small village) for a sit down meal, then had a buffet tea in the garden at home later. Three of the other families (there were 8 all together) had independently decided to go to the pub, the girls all in the white dresses. Same thing happened when I went to my nieces first communion in Ireland (only there were 90 families then ? not 9!). Some years at our church the parents have got together to arrange a joint buffet meal for everyone. That?s nice too.

I am pretty sure I was 10, certainly I think it was last year juniors - maybe second to last. It was a whole school thing, and I guess there was something afterwards, and probably some family thing too, but to be honest all I can really remember is a bit of the atmostphere and feeling sad that my mum made me wear a dress out of the school's charity box. My mother did not approve of First Holy Communion dressing up I suspect (she is Anglican, and had to sign us all away to Catholicism when she married my father, so always a sore point).

I was 7. I don't think we had a party, just a normal Sunday lunch (which always entailed loads of people turning up 'on the off chance' as it were, so almost like a party anyway).

It varies from parish to parish. Some do the whole class at once and have joint party afterwards.

At ours they do 8 children at a time over 4 masses and everyone has thier own party after.

It was my Ds's last year. I had a buffet at home aftrewards for family and friends. we had a bouncy castle in the garden. It was a lovely day, DS felt very special

Others went out for lunch to a restaurant, and some hired a hall and had great big shin dig with disco and everything.

I was 24 and had a party with about 6 other adults who'd made their first communion at the same service (Easter Vigil). Party was in the parish bar afterwards until about 1am!

Parish bar? A great incentive to become Catholic

I think finances will stop us having a huge knees up, although FIL will probably try to demand it.

I must admit, I'm looking forward to DDs and seeing her in a white dress. I think I'll do the full afternoon tea for that one.