Communion and Reconciliation

The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of

the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. (CCC 1324)

The liturgical life of the Church revolves around the sacraments, with the Eucharist at the center (National Directory for Catechesis, #35). At Mass, we are fed by the Word and nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ. We believe that the Risen Jesus is truly and substantially present in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is not a sign or symbol of Jesus; rather we receive Jesus himself in and through the Eucharistic species. The priest, through the power of his ordination and the action of the Holy Spirit, transforms the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus. This is call transubstantiation.

By the consecration the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is brought about. Under the consecrated species of bread and wine Christ himself, living and glorious, is present in a true, real, and substantial manner: his Body and his Blood, with his soul and his divinity. (CCC 1413)

ASSUMPTION PARISH SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION

Assumption Parish children in the second grade, or older, are invited to prepare with us for the first of these life-long Sacraments. All children preparing for First Communion must already have been baptized and have prepared for First Reconciliation. Preparation begins with classes for First Reconciliation in January. First Communion preparation will continue into March and April. The dates for First Reconciliation and First Communion are being calendared. Please check back in September for schedule and to complete the online registration form.

If your child is not enrolled at a Catholic school, they need to be enrolled in our religious education classes here at Assumption. Please contact Ellen Bollard. Proof of baptism is required so we may notify the church where a child was baptized. If you do not have a copy of your child's baptismal certificate, please contact the church where your child received the Sacrament of Baptism and request a copy to be sent directly to the parish office. (6201 33rd Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115). You may also have a copy faxed to (206) 522-6308. If your child was baptized here at Assumption Parish we have the record on file, please note the information on the registration form. All sacramental records are officially kept at the parish where one was baptized.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever;…Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and…remains in me and I in him. (John 6:51, 54, 56)

Anyone who desires to receive Christ in Eucharistic communion must be in the state of grace. Anyone aware of having sinned mortally must not receive communion without having received absolution in the sacrament of penance. (CCC 1415)

The Church warmly recommends that the faithful receive Holy Communion when they participate in the celebration of the Eucharist; she obliges them to do so at least once a year. (CCC 1417)

Receiving the Eucharist changes us. It signifies and effects the unity of the community and serves to strengthen the Body of Christ.

Understanding the Mass

The central act of worship in the Catholic Church is the Mass. It is in the liturgy that the saving death and resurrection of Jesus once for all is made present again in all its fullness and promise – and we are privileged to share in His Body and Blood, fulfilling his command as we proclaim his death and resurrection until He comes again. It is in the liturgy that our communal prayers unite us into the Body of Christ. It is in the liturgy that we most fully live out our Christian faith.

The liturgical celebration is divided into two parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. First we hear the Word of God proclaimed in the scriptures and respond by singing God’s own Word in the Psalm. Next that Word is broken open in the homily. We respond by professing our faith publicly. Our communal prayers are offered for all the living and the dead in the Creed. Along with the Presider, we offer in our own way, the gifts of bread and wine and are given a share in the Body and Blood of the Lord, broken and poured out for us. We receive the Eucharist, Christ’s real and true presence, and we renew our commitment to Jesus. Finally, we are sent forth to proclaim the Good News!