Holy Communion

sacrament of holy communion, eucharist

The Sacrament of Holy Communion

“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.’ (CCC 1323)

Because the Eucharist is the supreme act of worship of God the Mass is celebrated daily. And, it is in the Eucharist that we find our strength to live the Christian faith and go forth to continue the mission of Christ in today’s world. 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.’ (CCC 1323) Please see our home page for the schedule of Masses.

The Hour That Will Change Your Life

“The Eucharist is the source and center of the Christian life.” In the Eucharist, we find our life, our hope and our strength and we return all of our love and thanksgiving to the Eucharist, “for in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.” (CCC 1324)

The Real Presence of Jesus

It can be easy to doubt that Jesus is actually present in the Eucharist. But we challenge you to dig deeper... As of late, science has been baffled by recent Eucharistic miracles in which the host has physically transformed into human flesh and blood. But do science and the church mix? Absolutely. Here the Catholic Church teaches...

“in the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist ‘the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained.’” CCC 1374

And here, in recent Eucharistic miracles (from 2013, 2008, 2006, 1996, 1992...), we see scientific results and conclusions as follows...

  • The blood is human, AB blood type; human DNA was found; white blood cells, red blood cells, hemoglobin, and mycrophages were present, indicating fresh blood; in the Tixtla miracle, the blood clearly emanated from within, because the blood on the surface had begun to coagulate but the interior blood was still fresh, as with a bleeding wound.
  • The flesh is human myocardium tissue of the left ventricle of an inflamed heart; in the miracles from Argentina and Poland, there was evidence of trauma from the presence of thrombi, indicating repeated lack of oxygen; lesions present showed rapid cardiac spasms typical in the final phases of death.
  • In the Sokolka miracle, the remaining host is tightly interconnected with the fibers of human tissue, penetrating each other inseparably – as if the bread were transforming into flesh. “Even NASA scientists, who have at their disposal the most modern analytical techniques, would not be able to artificially recreate such a thing,” affirmed Dr. Sobaniec-Lotowska, one of the examining experts.

Dr. Frederick Zugibe, a forensic doctor at Columbia University who examined the Argentinian miracle, did not know the source of the sample and told the doctor who brought it to him:

“If white blood cells were present (in the heart tissue), it is because at the moment you brought me the sample, it was pulsating.”

When he learned the source of the sample, he was shocked and deeply moved.

https://media.ascensionpress.com/2021/11/03/the-amazing-science-of-recent-eucharistic-miracles-a-message-from-heaven-%EF%BB%BF/

 Heaven is speaking to us if only we're willing to listen... 


First Communion

Our young prepare for First Communion in the second grade. The following will help both students and their parents to prepare to receive Jesus in the Eucharist. This will cover spiritual and practical preparations. More information will be forthcoming.

  • Student Preparation Check-In: TBD
  • First Reconciliation Parent Meeting: TBD
  • First Reconciliations: TBD
  • Student & Parents Day of Preparation: TBD
  • First Communions will be on:
    • April 28, 2024
    • May 5, 2024

Guidelines for Receiving Communion

To receive Holy Communion, one must be a Catholic in good standing with the Church. Contact us about preparation to receive this sacrament.

Contact for Children: St. Bernard CCDSt. Henry CCD
Contact for Adults: Cluster Office at 419-678-4118 - Learn more about our RCIA program, here

  • For Catholics: Catholics fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when they receive Holy Communion in fulfillment of Christ's command to eat His Body and drink His Blood. In order to be properly disposed to receive Communion, communicants should not be conscious of grave sin, have fasted for an hour, and seek to live in charity and love with their neighbors. Persons conscious of grave sin must first be reconciled with God and the Church through the sacrament of Confession. A frequent reception of the sacrament of Penance is encouraged for all.
  • For Other Christians: We welcome to this celebration of the Eucharist those Christians who are not fully united with us. It is a consequence of sad divisions in Christianity that we cannot extend to them a general invitation to receive Communion. Catholics believe that the Eucharist is an action of the celebrating community signifying a oneness in faith, life, and worship of the community. Reception of the Eucharist by Christians not fully united with us would imply a oneness which does not yet exist, and for which we must all pray.
  • For Those Not Receiving Communion: Those not receiving Sacramental Communion are encouraged to express in their hearts a prayerful desire or unity with the Lord Jesus and with one another.
  • For Non-Christians: We also welcome to this celebration those that do not share our faith in Jesus. While we cannot extend to them an invitation to receive Communion, we do invite them to be united with us in prayer.

Printed by order of the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy National Conference of Catholic Bishops 1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005 November 8, 1986.