One of the last columns I wrote when I worked for the paper expressed gratitude for the many guides I’ve had along my spiritual journey.

Last Sunday, as my boy received his First Holy Communion, I felt a great gratitude for the teachers and guides my family has been blessed with along its spiritual journey.

Great priests, great deacons, great teachers and directors — I felt like we were standing on the shoulders of so many to get us to that moment. Sitting in our pew, surrounded by family and friends, I was glad to be where I was.

Unlike most churches, where a special mass is celebrated for an entire class of first communicants, Blessed Sacrament devotes a Sunday service to focus on individual children on their special day.

The boy carried the cross to lead the priest, deacon and reader to start the mass. He was introduced by his Sunday school teacher* to the congregation.

The family got to participate in the service as well, when we carried the gifts of bread and wine for consecration in the offertory procession. (Having a member of our extended family serving as cantor made it look like we did it on purpose.)

Prayers were offered for him and us throughout. It was quite lovely and heartening.

In addition to the wonderful clergy and lay staff at our church, I’m also grateful for the supportive members of our parish who have made us feel at home and welcomed and loved.

That’s not to say I’ve never felt this way at other churches; it’s just that as a relatively small parish, there’s a coziness and intimacy that fosters a sense of a shared experience, where we’re all exploring the reaches of our faith. I can dig that.

After having witnessed the anticipation our son experienced in receiving this sacrament and the loving atmosphere in which it was offered, I hope and pray this nurturing soil with which we are surrounded will bring forth great fruit from our all little seeds.

Read More