Reaching a Milestone

Our eldest made his First Communion this weekend.  Being a convert to Catholicism, I had never even attended a First Communion Mass and really didn’t know what to expect.  It was a beautiful ceremony and the hooligan couldn’t have been less hooligan-like.  So now I can exhale.

This post is mostly for those family and friends who couldn’t make it to the Mass but are still interested.  The rest of you can read and look if you like, but you’re excused if not!

At the “dress rehearsal”

Making his banner, another tradition I knew nothing about and had to Google

His finished banner on the end of our assigned pew.  I really wish I could quit thinking of “Steve-O” the B List celebrity every time I see his first name and last initial.


Someone decided to let him carry a lit candle (next to a girl in a veil) at the front of the procession. I blurred everyone else’s face to protect the innocent, by the way.  I don’t have a weirdly focusing camera. This was the only part of the Mass we could photograph, the procession.


His little brother’s favorite part…cake!  Come back tomorrow and I’ll share the amazing recipe for both the cake and frosting.  We decided it was the best cake I’ve ever made (or eaten!). Oh, and both boys had on ties for church and took them off for dinner.  We’re not in the habit of making them button their shirts to their chins.

I’ve been so impressed with our son this year.  He’s had Religious Ed classes every Monday night and really enjoyed all that he’s learned.  I was worried about his being able to memorize all the prayers he needed to, but he was done memorizing before Christmas and has said them often since.  Part of his ADHD is that he was unable to memorize things, but with a lot of hard work and the medication he takes, he was able to accomplish it. I think there were seven prayers to memorize, and not being a cradle Catholic, I didn’t even know some of them.

The other two kids are so excited for the First Communions now.  This was such a wonderful experience for all of us, as we navigate our way through parenthood and “raising them right!”