Eucharist

“The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ ‘The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.’”
—Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1324

We, as Catholics, believe that in the Mass, the bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ through transubstantiation. “When we eat the broken Bread, we unite ourselves with the love of Jesus, who gave his body for us on the wood of the Cross; when we drink from the chalice, we unite ourselves with him who even poured out his blood out of love for us. We did not invent this ritual. Jesus himself celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples and therein anticipated his death; he gave himself to his disciples under the signs of bread and wine and commanded them from then on, even after his death, to celebrate the Eucharist. ‘Do this in remembrance of me’" (YouCat 208).

When do children receive First Holy Communion at St. Matthew?

Children begin preparing to receive their First Holy Communion or First Eucharist in 1st grade and complete the sacrament fully in 2nd grade. For more information please contact St. Matthew the Apostle Catholic School at (614) 471-4930, or Ashley Allwein at the St. Matthew Parish Family Life Office (614-532-0620 or aallwein@stmatthew.net).

If you were baptized as a Catholic but have not received the Sacrament of the Eucharist, please call the RCIA director at (614) 532-0626 or or contact Jennifer Cabe.