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MEANINGFUL FIRST COMMUNION LITURGIES *E-BOOK*
Nick Wagner
PDF file, $21.95
128 pages, 8½" X 11"
ISBN 0-89390-667-0

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(see download instructions below)

Transform first-communion liturgies from pageants into prayers. If you’re put in charge of preparing a first-communion liturgy, the temptation to plan a crowd-pleasing pageant is always there. But you know better. You know this is an initiation rite into the Catholic church, a liturgy that deserves your respect and attention to detail. This book tells you how to go about celebrating a worthy first-communion celebration that takes both liturgy and children seriously. This book, written by the editor of Ministry & Liturgy, explains every aspect of the first-communion liturgy, from the opening prayer to the recessional song. Plus you’ll receive preparation notes for the catechist, assembly, first-communion families and first communicants.

Purchase and Download Instructions:

To purchase MEANINGFUL FIRST COMMUNION LITURGIES *E-BOOK*, add it to your shopping cart above, and pay for your order by credit card. Click on the "DOWNLOAD" button on the order confirmation page to download the .pdf file and save it to a folder on your hard drive.

Once the e-book file is saved on your hard drive, you can open it as follows: From My Computer, or Windows Explorer, or My Documents, browse to the folder and double-click on the file named MFCL.pdf. This action should launch Adobe Reader. You will see the title of the book, and you will be able to navigate the entire book. Note that bookmarks have been added to the file to make it easier for you to jump to what you want to use. If you do not have Acrobat Reader, it can be downloaded free of charge from www.adobe.com.

Reviews

“One of the toughest jobs in the world belongs to the person assigned responsibility for the first- communion liturgy. Surrounded by parents with long memories, pastors with little time for details and parishioners with silent wishes that it won’t take too long, the coordinator faces a daunting task: how to make this a liturgy in which all participants can take their active role. Nick Wagner has written a practical manual to make that happen.”
— Shannon O’Donnell, pastoral assistant, St. Leo Parish, Tacoma, Wash.

“Meaningful First Communion Liturgies contains liturgically sound principles coupled with a common-sense approach. This is a great resource for all involved in planning liturgy or catechizing for first communion. Be sure to read it early in the year!”
— Joan R. Sokoll, director of elementary religious education, Diocese of Brooklyn

“This book hits all the right chords for a prayerful parish celebration: initiatory focus, Easter season context, Sunday celebrations, active participation for all, oriented toward mission, quotes from key documents, helpful quick notes, sample handouts, worksheets, references and more. Well done! ”
— Michael Grammer, director of initiation and spiritual formation, Diocese of Greensburg, Pa.

About the Author

Nick Wagner is the editor of Ministry & Liturgy magazine and author of Modern Liturgy Answers the 101 Most-Asked Questions about Liturgy. Previously he was the director of worship for the diocese of New Ulm, Minn. He holds an advanced degree in liturgical studies from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn.

Table of Contents

Introduction

  • Preparing to Celebrate First Communion
  • Basic Principles for Celebrating the First Communion Liturgy
  • Abbreviations of Documents Cited

Part One

Opening Rites

  • Overview
  • Gathering
  • Opening Song
  • Opening Procession
  • Sign of the Cross, Greeting, Introduction
  • Penitential Rite and Sprinkling Rite
  • Gloria
  • Opening Prayer

Catechist Background Sheets


  • Opening Song
  • Penitential Rite and Sprinkling Rite
  • Opening Prayer

Part Two

Liturgy of the Word

  • Overview
  • First and Second Readings
  • Psalm and Alleluia
  • Gospel and Homily
  • Profession of Faith and Prayer of the Faithful

Catechist Background Sheets

  • The Readings
  • The Homily
  • The Intercessions
  • Adapting the Liturgy of the Hours for Home Prayer and Preparation Sessions
  • Sample Outline for Evening Prayer
  • Sample Outline for Morning Prayer

Part Three

Liturgy of the Eucharist

  • Overview
  • Preparation of Altar and Gifts
  • Eucharistic Prayer

Communion Rite

  • Overview
  • Lord’s Prayer and Sign of Peace
  • Fraction Rite
  • Call to Communion
  • Communion
  • Song after Communion
  • Prayer after Communion

Catechist Background Sheets

  • Faith-Sharing Questions for Eucharistic Prayer III
  • Wheat-and-Water-Only Bread Recipe
  • Understanding the Preparation of the Gifts

Part Four

Concluding Rites

  • Overview
  • Announcements
  • Greeting and Final Blessing
  • Dismissal

Catechist Background Sheets

  • Examples of Prayers over the People (from the sacramentary)
  • Guidelines for Writing Announcements

Appendices

Appendix A: How to Use This Book to Supplement Your First Communion Program

  • The Table of the Lord (Ave Maria)
  • We Celebrate the Eucharist (Silver Burdett and Ginn)
  • Celebrating the Gift of Jesus (Brown-Roa)
  • First Eucharist (Benziger)
  • Around the Lord’s Table (Our Sunday Visitor)
  • First Eucharist (Sadlier)

Appendix B: Resources

  • Tips for Families
  • First Communion Information for Families
  • Sample Bulletin Announcements
  • First Communion Liturgy Planning Checklist

Appendix C: First Communion Liturgy Planning Sheets

  • 3rd Sunday of Easter
  • Votive Mass for Holy Eucharist (When First Communion Is Not Celebrated on a Sunday)
  • First Communion Liturgy Planning Template

Following is the introduction from Meaningful First Communion Liturgies. All rights reserved. Copyright © 1998, Resource Publications, Inc.

Introduction

If you are a typical director of religious education, school principal, teacher, or catechist, you are too busy to read this book. But don’t worry. You don’t have to read it all at once. If you were hoping to find a “just add water” outline of the liturgy that you could use next month or next week, there are a couple in Appendix C. But I hope you won’t stop there.

The principles in this book are meant to be integrated, over time, into the general parish process for initiating candidates into first communion. However, this is not a catechism nor preparation program for first communion. This book is only about the first communion liturgy itself.

But it cannot be “only” about that liturgy because any liturgy of the church is integrated into not only all the other liturgies of the church but also into all the other ministries of the church and all the members of the church. By its nature, liturgy touches and transforms everything.

So while this book is “only” about the first communion liturgy, it is also about much more. It is about how the entire parish initiates candidates into the eucharistic banquet. It is about how the liturgical life of the parish shapes these candidates. It is about all the work and prayer that goes into preparing this important celebration in our communities.

The book is divided into the four parts of the Mass and each of the elements within those parts is discussed along the following outline:

  • Purpose
  • Planning comments
  • Role of the assembly
  • Role of the first communicants
  • Preparation for the following groups:
    • Pastoral planning team (including the catechist)
    • Parish
    • First communion families
    • First communion candidates

The reader can deal with all of the elements of the liturgy or only with those that she or he thinks require the most attention in a given parish. Within each element, the reader might choose to deal with all the aspects discussed in the above outline or only with those concerning the first communicant.

At the end of each major section of the book are catechist background sheets. Some of these are designed to be supplementary material to help catechists understand some element of liturgy that is related to the first communion celebration; others are helpful tips to make the first communion liturgy run more smoothly and effectively. You can photocopy and hand the sheets out to catechists for their own information, or you can use them as a basis for discussion at a catechist training session.

Another way to take advantage of this book is to use it as supplementary material to your current first communion preparation program. Appendix A outlines some of the more popular programs. I have indicated which parts of this book could possibly be integrated into the various stages of those programs.

This designed method of picking and choosing illustrates an important bias of mine: Nothing is carved in stone. I have made my case for the direction I have set out in this book. It is up to the reader to weigh my reasoning, take what works, and adapt the rest. There is only one principle that can never be violated if we are to remain true to the mandate of the Second Vatican Council. In the celebration of the liturgy, the full, conscious, and active participation of the assembly is the aim to be considered before all else.

This leads to another bias of mine. The primary place for anyone to be involved in liturgy is as a member of the worshiping assembly. Often we attempt to make some group feel involved in the liturgy by giving them a role in the sanctuary. The other side of that logic is that when this group was singing and praying with the rest of us, they (and we) were not involved. It is a subtle but real division of the faithful to extract some of our members for liturgical service solely so “they” will be involved. I recognize that often we do not feel involved when we worship. But the solution to that is to upgrade our worship, not to divide the body.

What that means for the reader of this book is that I am advocating that the first and best place of involvement for the first communion candidates is as worshiping members of the assembly. Calling on these candidates to serve the assembly in liturgical ministries — even if they might be qualified — not only divides the assembly; it also seems inhospitable to ask someone we are initiating into full communion to minister to us when our clear call is to minister to them.

My final biases have more to do with definitions. In this book, I use the word “catechist” almost exclusively. I use that word in the sense it is used in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults to mean the person or persons (other than the parents) whose primary task it is to communicate and transmit the faith to these candidates. That could be the DRE, the principal, a teacher, a classroom catechist, or a parish volunteer.

I also refer to “first communion” instead of “first Eucharist.” That is because first communion candidates have celebrated many Eucharists. The fact that they have not yet been able to share communion does not mean they are anticipating celebrating Eucharist for the first time.

And I usually refer to the person who is the object of preparation as a “candidate” instead of a “child.” This is first of all to reinforce the understanding of the first communion celebration as a step in the initiation process. In the Rite of Christian Initiation, the catechumens are referred to as “candidates for initiation.” I also use “candidates” because not everyone preparing for this celebration is a child. However, the overall thrust of the book does assume that the reader is dealing primarily with young children.