The Sacrament

of First Holy
Eucharist

Sarajevo Cathedral
May 19, 2019
12:00p.m.
 Communicants:
Aoibhe Louise Mercer
Nicolas Gonzaá lez-Aller
Darian McGarry

Celebrant:
Fr. Darko Tomasš evicá
PROCESSION - assistants, Communicants, priest.

The Communicants carry candles (extinguished.)

The parents of the children receiving the sacrament of First Communion stand
waiting in front of the altar; they take the candles and place them on the
railing in front of the altar (while still not lit.) The Communicants turn to the
side and go to their seats. Then the parents go to their seats.
The first two benches (on the left and right) are reserved for the parents.

ALL REMAIN STANDING.

GREETINGS BY THE PRIEST, and the presentation of the First Communicants.

Fr. Darko: Today is a very blessed day because we have three

first communicants: Aoibhe, Nicolas, and Darian. They are our
three angels. Today, these three children will accept Jesus in their
hearts. We will include them in our prayers, and we must strive to
be an example to them in the expression of our own faith, so that
the love of Jesus and of our fellow man will continue to grow in
them as well.
Dear children, today is a very special day for which you have
been preparing for many months. Today you are going to receive
Jesus in Holy Communion for the first time. He is coming to make
his home in you, and you want to welcome him with love and
great joy, as you begin this new part of your journey in life.
GREETINGS

Aoibhe:
Father Darko, in the name of the three of us that are receiving
our First Holy Communion, I am proud and honored to greet you,
our parents, and our entire community!
Today is a blessed and holy day!

Nicolas:
This is the day we have been preparing for all year long! We are
now ready to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion. In our
encounter with Jesus, we receive a special grace from God, a new
energy to live as his children. Jesus loves us very much, and he
has called on us to spread his love.

Darian:
We say to him: Hear our voice, O Sweet Jesus! Lead us as a friend
throughout all our lives and protect us from every evil. Let our
hearts be devoted to you completely, so that we may love both
God and our neighbor.

Daniel McGarry (Darian’s father):

And we parents have also long prepared for this Communion day.
Over the past year, we have often reflected together with our
children about our faith and about Jesus Christ.
We parents have a great responsibility to demonstrate through
our own faith how to strengthen the faith in our children's hearts.
This day of First Holy Communion must not only remain a
memory; let it instead be the beginning of the strengthening of
our connection to Jesus Christ.

FIRST READING: Acts 14:21-27 Mick (Aoibhe’s father)

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles:

After Paul and Barnabas had proclaimed the good news to that
city and made a considerable number of disciples, they returned
to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.
They strengthened the spirits of the disciples and exhorted them
to persevere in the faith, saying,
"It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the
kingdom of God."
They appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer
and fasting, commended them to the Lord in whom they had put
their faith.
Then they traveled through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia.
After proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia.
From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been
commended to the grace of God for the work they had now
accomplished.
And when they arrived, they called the church together and
reported what God had done with them and how he had opened
the door of faith to the Gentiles.

The Word the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM: PS 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13 (sung)

R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom and speak of
your might.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
Let them make known your might to the children of Adam,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
SECOND READING: Rev 21:1-5a Alvaro (Nicolas’ father)

A Reading from the book of Revelation.

Then I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth.

The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and
the sea was no more.
I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of
heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
"Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with
them and they will be his people and God himself will always be
with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes,
and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain,
for the old order has passed away."

The One who sat on the throne said,

"Behold, I make all things new."

The Word of the Lord.

GOSPEL Jn 13:31-33A, 34-35

A Reading from the Gospel according to John.

When Judas had left them, Jesus said,

"Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If
God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and
God will glorify him at once.
My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.
I give you a new commandment: love one another.
As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.
This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have
love for one another."

Sermon

ALL STAND!
Baptismal Renewal - Profession of Faith:
Parents light the candles; the mothers hold up the candles, the fathers light
the candles, and then the mothers present them to each Communicant. The
mothers stay by the side of the Communicants, while the fathers return to the
pews.

Fr. Darko:
Let us pray for those who are going to receive their First
Communion.
Baptism was the beginning of their initiation into the parish
community.
Today, at their First Holy Communion, they will be one with us at
the table of the Lord.
Father, bless these children and make them eager to share in the
banquet of Jesus.
Give them the strength of the Holy Spirit to profess the faith of
your Church.

Aoibhe:
When we were younger, our parents and godparents brought us
to be baptized as members of the Church.
We have come today for our First Communion.
With everyone gathered here, we speak for ourselves.
Fr. Darko: Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of
heaven and earth?

ALL: I do.

Fr. Darko: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was born of the Virgin Mary,
was crucified, died and was buried,
rose again from the dead,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty?

ALL: I do.

Fr. Darko: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting?

ALL: I do.

Fr. Darko: This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church.
We are proud to profess it, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

ALL: Amen.

The Communicants gently blow out the candles.

PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL

Fr. Darko: Dear God, we present our prayers to you.

We pray for Aoibhe, Nicolas, and Darian, as they prepare to
receive their First Holy Communion. May they grow in faith as
they follow your ways and come to understand more fully your
love for them. Let us pray to the Lord ...

DARIAN: We pray for our families and our friends. Help us to

love each other as much as you love us.
Let us pray to the Lord...

NICOLAS: We pray for our community, for everyone in our

church, and for the Catholic Church around the world. Help us to
grow as a family in your love.
Let us pray to the Lord...

AOIBHE: We pray for our teachers, and everyone who works with
children. Help them to guide the children in their care.
Let us pray to the Lord ...

Esther Izquierdo Martinez (NICOLAS’S mother): We pray for

all those people who have lost their families and their homes
because of natural disasters or violence. Help them to find the
strength to rebuild their lives.
Let us pray to the Lord ...

Amelia McGarry (DARIAN’s mother): We pray for all people

around the world, especially children, who are poor and who don't
have enough water or food and struggle for survival. Help us to
reach out to them in their distress.
Let us pray to the Lord...

Niamh Mercer (AOIBHE’s mother): We pray for those who are

sick, and those who care for them. We pray for those who have
died recently.
Let us pray to the Lord...

Fr. Darko: Dear God hear all these prayers and answer them.
Through Christ our Lord.

THE OFFERING OF THE GIFTS

BREAD
Nicolas: We have prepared for this day so that we may share at
the table of our Lord, and receive the bread of heaven. This is the
food that helps us on our journey through life to the eternal feast
in the house of the Father.
WINE
Aoibhe: Our earthly wine is not enough for true joy. Through the
power of Christ's sacrifice, they will become the Blood of Christ,
the true drink, by which we will share in Christ's life: ‘Whosoever
drinks my blood remains in me and I in him!’ – says the Lord.

Darian: Dear God, you are our Creator and our parent. Yours,
Lord, is the power and the glory. All things come from you, and
we want to give all of ourselves back to you. As these gifts are
changed into the body and blood of Jesus, we ask you to
transform us, and make us whole in your love.)

OFFETORY SONG
The Eucharist Song performed by Communicants

Let Us Be Bread

Refrain:

Let us be bread, blessed by the Lord, broken and shared, life for the world. Let us
be wine, love freely poured. Let us be one in the Lord.

I
I am the bread of life, broken for all. Eat now and hunger no more.

II
You are my friends if you keep my commands, No longer servants but friends.

III
See how my people have nothing to eat. Give them the bread that is you
COMMUNION
Fr. Darko: Dear children, you have been spending time preparing
for First Communion to be fed by Jesus the Good Shepherd. My
dear friends, you want to share with us the Bread of Heaven so
that you may be full members of the Body of Christ and to drink
of his Cup so that you may share his life forever. The period of
preparation has involved listening to the words of Jesus and
following his commands.
Dear children, are you ready to receive your First Holy
Communion?

CHILDREN: I am.

Fr. Darko: We believe that you are ready, and the Church calls
you to this great Sacrament. You must now tell everyone here
clearly that you hear his call and will follow him.

Do you wish to be member of the Body of Christ and a sheep of

his flock through the Sacrament of Holy Communion?

CHILDREN: I do.

Fr. Darko: Dear children, Jesus the Good Shepherd has called you
to come close to him. You are going to receive Him: Make a
greater effort to show love, to pray, and to be part of Church
family.

The First Communicants walk towards the altar one after another down the
aisle - with their hands clasped, they slowly come before the priest and the
communion. Then they return to their seats, kneel down, and say a prayer of
thanksgiving.
THE THANKS of the Communicants

The parents light the candles and hold them alit, then raise them when their
child speaks.
The First Communicants (as they speak one by one, each points to her
candle):

Aoibhe:
May the light of this candle be a sign of your blessing upon our
families.

Nicolas:
May the light of this candle be a sign of our joy to serve and
flourish in Christ's Church.

Darian:
May the light of this candle be a sign of peace in the world for all
our brothers and sisters.

Fr. Darko: Our communion with Christ means that we share not
only his life but also his mission. At each Mass, Jesus says to us:
‘As the Father sent me, so am I sending you’,
And breathes his Spirit upon us. The Spirit we receive anoints us
afresh to bring good news to the poor, since any true communion
with the living Lord will lead us to recognize him in the most in
need.’

CHILDREN:
Jesus has no body now on earth but ours.
No hands, no feet, on earth but ours.
Ours are the eyes by which he sees, the ears by which he hears.
Ours are the lips by which he speaks of his love.
Ours are the feet by which he walks in the world.
Ours are the hands by which he blesses the world.
We are his body.
Jesus has no body now on earth but ours.