On Saturday, May 10, 2025, St. Joseph Parish in Chicago was filled with celebration and light. On this day, children who had been preparing for the Sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist throughout the year consciously approached Holy Communion for the first time.
It was not just a beautiful parish celebration – it was a moment of unity, in which the essence of the Christian faith, passed down from generation to generation, was revealed. Throughout the year, the children attended catechetical classes, where they studied the basic truths of faith, prayers, got acquainted with the Gospel, the Sacraments, and the examples of the saints. Catechists and their assistants put their hearts into conveying to the children every week that faith is not just knowledge, but a living relationship with Christ.
This day became especially exciting for parents, relatives, catechists and the entire parish. The white dresses, wreaths, prayer, the solemn eyes of the children – everything spoke to the heart. And the words from the Gospel sounded: “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14).
However, in the Eastern Catholic Church, particularly in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic tradition, this event has a somewhat different theological and liturgical meaning. A child baptized in our rite usually receives three Sacraments at the same time: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. These three Sacraments constitute a single act of initiation into the Church of Christ. Thus, a child receives Holy Communion from infancy.
So, the event that we call “First Holy Communion” in the Eastern tradition, in particular in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, is not the first reception of the Body and Blood of Christ, but the first conscious one. In our rite, a child receives Holy Communion from the moment of baptism, but until a certain age he is not obliged to confess beforehand. This is due to the fact that until the so-called “age of discernment” – approximately 6-7 years old – the child is perceived as innocent, not yet able to fully realize moral responsibility for his actions.
When a child reaches the age where he begins to understand what sin is and to distinguish between good and evil, he is prepared for his first Confession. This is an extremely important moment in spiritual formation: for the first time, the child consciously confesses his sins to God and learns to trust in His mercy. After that, he approaches the Eucharist as a consciously experienced Sacrament. This step – the first conscious Communion – is a personal response to the gift that the child has previously received since childhood.
The Eastern Church teaches that grace operates not only through knowledge or age, but through an open heart and pure faith. Therefore, the Eucharist for a child is not a reward for understanding, but a gift that leads him to a deeper union with Christ.
In the Roman Catholic Church, the situation is different: there the Sacraments are administered in stages.
First, Baptism, and later, after reaching the “age of understanding” (approximately 7-8 years old), Confession and First Holy Communion. This is explained by the fact that the child must consciously understand the content of the Sacrament and participate in it as a personal choice.
Both traditions have deep theological roots and neither diminishes the other. Both recognize that in the Eucharist we receive Christ himself, as Scripture says:
“I am the bread of life… whoever eats me will live because of me” (John 6:35, 57).
One of those who helped prepare this material was Sofia Buryadnyk, a young parishioner who received Holy Communion herself a few years ago. Looking at the photo and recalling her own experience, she shared: “I realized that the Eucharist is not just a ritual, but Christ himself coming to me. And each time is like the first time. I am happy that other children also experienced this day.”
The parish priest, Father Mykola Buryadnyk, in his closing remarks thanked the catechists, parents, the community, and everyone who helped prepare for this day:
“This day is not just a celebration of children. It is a celebration of the entire Church, because when a child opens his heart to Christ, the entire community is renewed.”
And indeed, it was a triumph. A triumph of faith, hope, and love. A triumph of the living presence of Jesus in our hearts, in common prayer, in the purity of a child's soul. And we, adults, have only one thing to learn from children - to be sincere before God, and with an open heart to say: "Amen."
