First Holy Communion 2023
St Francis of Assisi Church, Priorswood

on Saturday 13 May 2023 at 11am

Some Information & Guidance for Parents / Guardians

Dear Parents / Guardians,

We are very much looking forward to welcoming you to the Church for your child’s First Holy Communion. This is a very special and important day. To help ensure that the day goes smoothly and that everyone feels at ease, please read, and follow these few housekeeping points. We would be very grateful if you could sign this form at the end and return it to the school.

Who can attend?
Both the school and the parish encourage smaller numbers at the ceremonies.

This allows the ceremony to be more meaningful and less hectic. Please follow the guidance of the school teachers and Principal in this regard. We strongly discourage large numbers of extended family attended.

Arrival Time
The First Holy Communion Ceremony will begin at 11am.

To make sure we can start on time, please come to the church before 10:45am. This will allow us time to seat you before the Mass begins.

While in the church
1. Please do not bring any food or drink into the church other than water if you need it.
2. Please turn you phone to silent and keep it away for the duration of the Mass. It’s a special day and we want you to be fully present for it.
3. Please keep all children seated with an adult at all times. No children are allowed to sit by themselves in the church.
4. No children are allowed to go to the toilets by themselves – they must be accompanied by an adult.

Photographs and Video
It is the policy of the Archdiocese that no photos or video can be taken during the Mass. You will have plenty of time to take photos after Mass.

During the Mass
We invite you to join in with the responses and then hymns at Mass. You will have a booklet with all you need in it.
We also ask that, as much as possible, we keep a respectful silence especially when the children are receiving Holy Communion and afterwards.

Finally, please follow the instructions of the teachers and the members of our Parish Pastoral Council who will be on hand to help on the day.

I hope and pray that this day will be a day of great joy and blessing for your family.
Fr Martin
Parish Priest – St Francis of Assisi, Priorswood.

Your Child’s Name: _________________________________________
I have read and am happy to follow the above instructions. I will inform any guests of these instructions in advance.
Signed:___________________________________________ Date: _______________________