First Holy Communion in Year of the Real Presence

At parishes around the Diocese of Allentown, children are receiving their First Holy Communion, an intimate encounter with Our Savior during this Year of the Real Presence. At some parishes, like Saint Margaret in Reading, above, First Holy Communion took place this past weekend. Other parishes will host this annual springtime celebration this coming weekend, or over Mother’s Day weekend. Bishop Alfred Schlert congratulated all those who will receive Christ’s Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity for the first time this year, as well as their families. “The Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist is our core belief as Catholics,” he said. “How wonderful it is to receive Our Lord for the first time at First Holy Communion!”