Eucharistic Catechesis

PARSIPPANY  Bishop Serratelli reminded a selection of First Communicants from around the diocese that Jesus gives us the gift of himself, each time we receive him in Holy Eucharist, during his annual “Celebration for First Communicants and Eucharistic Catechesis” held June 4 at St. Peter the Apostle Church here. The catechesis took place on Pentecost Sunday.

The 130 participating First Communicants, mostly second-graders, represented parishes from around the diocese. They came to the celebration with their families, filling St. Peter’s to standing room only. Bishop Serratelli presented a catechetical lesson and then invited some of the children to ask him questions about faith. The celebration included a procession with the First Communicants and honored Jesus with Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

“I would like to say a word of welcome to the First Communicants and their families this afternoon. This is the day [Pentecost] that the Holy Spirit came down on the Apostles, gathered with Mary in the upper room. It is known as the birthday of the Church. We come together in praise and thanksgiving in a special way with our young people, who are at the beginning of their life of faith. They just recently received Jesus in the great gift of the Eucharist,” Bishop Serratelli told the First Communicants, whose parishes selected them to participate in the annual celebration, which was sponsored by the diocesan Office of Catechesis. “We come to celebrate with them as a Diocese for the gift of faith given to them, the gift of faith given to their families and gift of faith given to each of us.”

For the catechesis, Bishop Serratelli walked to the center aisle of St. Peter’s, so he could speak more personally with the First Communicants. He told them, “When we truly love somebody, we give them a gift to show them how much we love him or her. The greatest gift that we can give anybody is the gift of ourselves.”

“That’s exactly what the Eucharist is. When you receive Holy Communion, it’s Jesus who is coming to you as the Father’s gift of love. It is Jesus, who loves you so much that he suffered and died for your sins. The Eucharist is Jesus, who stays with you and dwells inside you to make you holy,” the Bishop said to the First Communicants, dressed immaculately in blue, gray or white suits and white Communion dresses.

During his teaching, Bishop Serratelli also related the story of St. Dominic Savio, one of the youngest canonized saints of the Catholic Church. On the day of his First Communion, he did something unusual — he took a piece of paper and wrote down a number of promises he made to God the day he first received Jesus, the bishop said.

“Dominic’s promises were that Jesus and Mary will always be my best friends; I will go to church every Sunday and the Holy Days; I will never commit a sin; and I will go to Confession and Holy Communion as often as I can,” said Bishop Serratelli, who then asked the First Communicants to write down on a piece of paper one or two promises that they want to make to Jesus.

The Bishop also asked the children several questions to test their knowledge of the faith and the Eucharist, such as “Is Holy Communion just bread?” They correctly answered, “No.”

“When they bring the bread and wine up to the priest during Mass, it’s just bread and wine, right? No. During Mass, the priest does what Jesus did at the Last Supper. He says the same words over the bread that Jesus said on the night before he died: ‘This is my Body.’ What happens? Is it bread anymore? No — it’s the Body of Christ,” said Bishop Serratelli, who noted that the priest also consecrates the wine as the Blood of Christ. “Is there a change on the outside? No. But we know it [the change into the Body and Blood of Christ], because Jesus said it. Every time you come to Communion, you are meeting Jesus himself. You are receiving all that he is: his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity,” the Bishop said.

Then, Bishop Serratelli invited some of the First Communicants to ask him any question related to faith. Among the several questions, Nicholas Stevens of St. Jude Parish, Budd Lake, asked the Bishop, “Who made God in heaven?” Impressed with the depth of the question, the Bishop remarked to the adults, “We have a theologian here,” prompting laughter from the congregation.

“Life has to have a source that’s uncreated. God always was. That’s what makes him God: he has no beginning or end. Nobody created God. He is the Creator. He is the one, who made all things. He existed before time. He is the one to whom we will go and be happy with forever,” he said.

Emily Iadarola of Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish, Lake Hopatcong, asked Bishop Serratelli, “Why do you wear such fancy clothes?” — a question that elicited chuckles from the congregation. He said that the bishops wear specific clothing — handed down by tradition — to distinguish themselves from priests. In a moment of self-deprecation, the Bishop noted that bishops wear hats “to cover their bald spots” — another comment that was met with laughter.

After the questions, Bishop Serratelli presided over Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, which included a Eucharistic procession with the First Communicants. At the end of the celebration, he gave each First Communicant a gift. Then, the children and their families were invited to a light reception in St. Peter’s Hall.

“I feel very happy. The Bishop was very funny. He told us that Jesus is a gift to us [in the Eucharist],” Maya Anikiej, a First Communicant from St. Therese Parish, Succasunna, said at the reception.

Then, Maya’s mother, Marta, called Bishop Serratelli’s catechesis “beautiful” and the Eucharistic procession “amazing.”

“The Bishop was open and friendly. He told us that Jesus is here with us [in the Eucharist] and that the Eucharist is Jesus himself. The Bishop really inspired me,” Marta Anikiej said.