| As Catholics,
we fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when we receive
Holy Communion. Parishioners and visitors to St. Paul are encouraged to
receive Communion devoutly and frequently. In order to be properly
disposed to receive Communion, participants should not be conscious of
grave sin and normally should have fasted for one hour. The Eucharist is
offered at all St. Paul Masses.
If you, or someone in your family is
ill, Holy Communion can be delivered to your home by one of the St. Paul
Ministers to the Ill.
Learn more:
Communion for the ill
First Communion for children
First Communion for adults and teens over 14
Communion for the Ill
If you or a
family member are ill or otherwise homebound and cannot attend Mass
to receive communion, please call the rectory at 916-381-5200 to
arrange for one of our Ministers to the Ill to bring the Eucharist
to your home.
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First Communion for
Children
Children
are prepared for confirmation during the course of their Catholic
Faith Formation (CFF) classes. Learn more about
CFF.
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First Communion for
Teens and Adults
Teens over
14 and adults who have been baptized but have not received First
Holy Communion are encouraged to prepare for this Sacrament through
St. Paul RCIA. Learn more about
RCIA.
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The Sacrament of the Eucharist in the
Catholic Church
Jesus said:
"I
am the living bread that came down from heaven; if any
one eats of this bread, he will live forever; ...he who
eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and
... abides in me, and I in him" (John 6:51, 54, 56).
One of the seven
Sacraments of the Church, indeed the greatest of the
Sacraments, described by the Church in this way:
"The Most Holy
Eucharist is the most august sacrament, in which
Christ the Lord himself is contained, offered and
received, and by which the Church constantly lives
and grows. The Eucharistic Sacrifice, the memorial
of the death and resurrection of the Lord, in which
the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated over the
centuries, is the summit and the source of all
Christian worship and life; it signifies and effects
the unity of the people of God and achieves the
building up of the Body of Christ. The other
sacraments and all the ecclesiastical works of the
apostolate are closely related to the Holy Eucharist
and are directed to it." -- Canon Law 897.
Although the
Eucharist is one Sacrament, there are three essential
aspects to which the Church points: (1) sacrifice; (2)
communion; (3) Real Presence of Christ.
The Church calls
the faithful to respond in faith to these three aspects
of the Eucharist:
"The faithful
are to hold the Eucharist in highest honor, taking
part in the celebration of the Most August
Sacrifice, receiving the sacrament devoutly and
frequently, and worshiping it with supreme
adoration...." -- Canon Law 898.
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This page last updated on
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
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