Marking the Feast of Corpus Christi, 44 First Communicants meet with Bishop at the cathedral

PATERSON  Dressed just like they did on the day of their First Holy Communion day, 44 children from parishes around the Diocese met with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney for the Diocese’s annual Eucharistic Catechesis held in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here June 6, the Feast of Corpus Christi. An event created by Bishop Emeritus Serratelli to remind children about the gift of receiving Jesus through the Eucharist, Bishop Sweeney continued the tradition as he presided at the celebration for the first time.

This year’s celebration followed health and safety mandates set when the celebration was planned and each parish was allowed to have one child represent its parish community. Family members accompanied the children and took countless photos at this special event for their children. The celebration included catechesis by the Bishop, questions asked by the children for the Bishop to answer, an outdoor procession with the Blessed Sacrament followed by Adoration and Benediction. At the end of the event, which was coordinated by the diocesan Office of Worship and Office of Cate­chesis at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, Bishop Sweeney presented each child with a gift.

At the start of the celebration, Bishop Sweeney said, “As the Diocese of Paterson, we come together with our young people who received Jesus in their First Holy Communion. It’s a great joy for me as Bishop to welcome our young people, their parents, families, priests, and religious here with us. On this beautiful Feast of Corpus Christi, the gift of the Eucharist of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus. He is with us. He is with us always especially when we receive Holy Communion.”

During the catechesis, the Bishop reflected on the Mass. “Jesus wants us to remember. He knows sometimes we forget.” The Bishop told the First Communicants. “At every Mass, there’s that moment, when the priests says (recalling the words of Jesus), ‘This is my Body. This is my Blood.’ Then, Jesus tells us something else. This is when he tells us, do not forget. He says, ‘Do this in memory of me.’ He’s really telling us don’t forget how much I love you.”

Every year, some of the most memorable moments of the annual catechesis are the precocious questions asked by the First Communicants, most of them second-graders. A theme this year involved the creation of the world and Bishop Sweeney was ready to answer their inquires.

One First Communicant asked, “What was there before God created the world?”

The Bishop simply answered, “Nothing. Just God. That’s something many can’t understand and it’s a mystery.”

Another First Communicant inquired about the Bishop himself and asked him, “Is it hard being a Bishop?”

“Depends on the day,” the Bishop quipped, receiving laughter from the parents.

He then asked the First Communicants “Does anyone here like sports? What’s the best thing about sports? When you work together with a great team. All the priests working with us and all the leaders of the parish, we have a great team. That’s what makes it easy to be a Bishop.”

Following the question-and-answer session, a Eucharistic procession was held outside the cathedral with the First Communicants and the Bishop, who followed them as he carried the Blessed Sacrament under a canopy. Then, Adoration and Benediction was held.

At the celebration, the Bishop thanked all those who helped to prepare the children to receive their First Communion and especially thanked the parents and reminded them to continue guiding their children in learning about their Catholic faith.