Annual Eucharistic Catechesis

PATERSON  Dressed just like they were on their First Holy Communion day, 125 children from the Paterson Diocese came together with Bishop Serratelli for the Annual Eucharistic Catechesis at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here on June 23, the Feast of Corpus Christi. The event, first created by the Bishop in 2006, highlights the important gift of receiving Jesus through the Eucharist for the first time.

Filling the cathedral, family members, prepared with their cameras, took countless photos at the event, which included catechesis by the Bishop, questions asked by the children, an outdoor procession with the Eucharist and Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. At the end of the event, which is coordinated by the Office of Catechesis at St. Paul’s Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization at Bayley-Ellard in Madison, Bishop Serratelli presented each child with a gift.

Every year, some of the most memorable moments of the annual catechesis are the precocious questions asked by the First Communicants, most of whom are in second grade.

Jason Barone of St. Anthony Church in Hawthorne asked, “When and how was the first Church made and where was it located?”

The Bishop responded, “If you know something about history, for the first 300 years, Christians were persecuted by the Roman Empire and they couldn’t build churches. They couldn’t practice their faith publicly and many become martyrs. So, the very first churches took place in the houses of people.”

Aniela Tomczyk from Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Highland Lakes asked, “Who technically made God?”

The Bishop called her a “theologian” for her question and said, “The answer to that is simple. God is God because he is the creator of everything. God is God because he existed through all eternity. God is God because no one made him. He made us. It’s a hard idea to fathom in our minds but when we get to heaven we will find out.”

Another question received laughter from the congregation when Kevin Johnson of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Boonton asked the Bishop, “If Jesus was alive today, how old would he be?”

“The first part of that question is very important,” answered the Bishop. “To the adults, Jesus is alive. That’s the whole basis of our faith — that he was crucified for our sins, was raised from the dead and is alive.”

From Good Shepherd Parish in Andover, Avery Brennan asked, “What is it like to be a priest?”

The Bishop answered, “For me, it is one of the happiest lives you can ever have. The priest’s life is full of joy and the reason is that he brings Jesus to others by saying Mass, by helping people on the way to heaven, by teaching the faith.”

As “homework” for the First Communicants, the Bishop told the children the story of St. Dominic Savio, a young saint, who received his First Communion at the age of 7 and afterwards wrote several promises to Jesus. He asked the young people to do the same and write down two promises to make for their lives and refer to the promises often.

Bishop Serratelli told the children, “Every once in a while, look at those promises and see how you are returning the great love that God gives to you.”