First Communion: Catholic Guide, Prayers and What to Expect

First Holy Communion is the day a baptized Catholic receives the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist for the first time. For most Catholic children in the Latin Church it happens around the age of seven or eight, after a year or two of preparation and a first confession. It completes, together with Baptism and Confirmation, the sacraments of Christian initiation (Catechism 1322).

This guide explains what First Communion means, how children prepare, what happens on the day, how to receive Communion reverently, and prayers for the child and the family.

What is First Holy Communion?

Catholics believe that in the Eucharist Jesus is truly present, body, blood, soul and divinity, under the appearances of bread and wine (Catechism 1374). The Church calls the Eucharist “the source and summit of the Christian life” (Catechism 1324). Jesus himself promised:

I am the bread of life.
Your fathers did eat manna in the desert, and are dead.
This is the bread which cometh down from heaven; that if any man eat of it, he may not die.
I am the living bread which came down from heaven.
If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give, is my flesh, for the life of the world.

At First Communion a child receives Jesus for the first time and begins a lifelong friendship with him, nourished at every Mass.

At what age do children make their First Communion?

In the Latin (Roman) Catholic Church, children normally receive First Communion when they reach the age of reason, around seven, once they understand that the Eucharist is not ordinary bread but Jesus himself, and can receive him with reverence (Code of Canon Law, canon 913–914). In the United States this is usually in second grade. Pope St. Pius X lowered the age of First Communion to this point in 1910, so that children could receive Jesus early.

In the Eastern Catholic Churches, infants receive Communion together with Baptism and Chrismation.

Older children and adults who were not baptized as infants receive First Communion at the Easter Vigil, after preparing through OCIA.

How children prepare

Religious education. Parishes and Catholic schools offer one or two years of preparation, often beginning in first grade. Parents are the first teachers of the faith and are usually asked to attend sessions too.
First confession. Children make their first confession before First Communion (canon 914). See how to go to confession and our examination of conscience for children.
Learning the prayers. Children usually learn the Sign of the Cross, the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Glory Be and the Act of Contrition.
Understanding the Mass. Going to Sunday Mass as a family is the best preparation of all. Our order of the Mass explains each part.
Practice. Many parishes hold a rehearsal so that children know where to walk and how to receive.

What happens on the day

First Communion is usually celebrated at a special Mass, often on a Sunday in the Easter season (April or May). Children may process in together and sit with their families or as a group. They may read the readings or the Prayers of the Faithful, and some bring up the gifts.

When it is time for Communion, each child comes forward. The priest or minister holds up the host and says, “The Body of Christ,” and the child answers, “Amen,” which means “Yes, I believe.”

How to receive Holy Communion

Fast for one hour before Communion, except for water and medicine (canon 919; Catechism 1387).
Be in the state of grace: go to confession first if you are aware of a serious sin (Catechism 1415).
Make a sign of reverence, such as a bow of the head, as you approach.
Receive on the tongue or in the hand. On the tongue: open your mouth and put out your tongue a little. In the hand: place your left hand on top of your right, like a throne, then take the host with your right hand and consume it immediately.
Return to your place and pray quietly, thanking Jesus.

Prayers for First Communion

A child’s prayer before First Communion

Written for this page:

Jesus, today I will receive you for the first time.
I believe that you are really here, in the bread that has become your Body.
I love you, and I want to love you more.
Come into my heart and stay with me always. Amen.

For more, see our prayers before Communion.

A child’s prayer after First Communion

Written for this page:

Thank you, Jesus, for coming to me.
You are my best friend.
Help me to be kind, to tell the truth and to obey,
and to come to you at Mass every Sunday of my life.
Mary, my mother, help me to keep Jesus in my heart. Amen.

Older children and adults can pray the Anima Christi after Communion.

A parent’s prayer for a child making First Communion

Written for this page:

Lord Jesus, today our child (name) receives you for the first time.
Thank you for this gift and for everyone who has prepared him (her).
Make his (her) heart a home for you,
keep him (her) close to you through every year of growing up,
and help us, as parents, to lead the way by our own faith and love. Amen.

Scripture for the day

St. Paul hands on the words of Jesus at the Last Supper:

For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread.
And giving thanks, broke, and said: Take ye, and eat: this is my body, which shall be delivered for you: this do for the commemoration of me.
In like manner also the chalice, after he had supped, saying: This chalice is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as often as you shall drink, for the commemoration of me.
For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you shall shew the death of the Lord, until he come.

Prayers of the Faithful for a First Communion Mass

Ready-made intentions for the Mass are on our page of Prayers of the Faithful for First Communion, and our guide what are prayers of the faithful for kids helps children read them.

Clothes, gifts and celebrations

What to wear. Girls traditionally wear a white dress, sometimes with a veil, recalling their white baptismal garment; boys wear a suit or a white shirt and tie. Follow your parish’s guidelines; some parishes ask for simple clothes or provide robes.
Gifts. Good gifts point to the faith: a first rosary (see the prayers of the Rosary), a children’s Bible, a crucifix for the bedroom, a prayer book, a saint’s medal, or a framed picture of the day.
Celebration. Families often gather for a meal afterward. Keep Jesus at the center: say grace together, and perhaps light the child’s baptismal candle.
Keep it going. The most important day is not the first, but every Sunday after it. Go to Mass together each week and make confession a regular family habit.

Frequently asked questions

What grade is First Communion?

Usually second grade in the United States (around age seven or eight), after a year or two of preparation.

Does a child have to go to confession before First Communion?

Yes. In the Latin Church, first confession comes before First Communion (canon 914).

Can a child receive First Communion without going to Catholic school?

Yes. Parishes offer religious education programs for children in public schools and for homeschooling families.

What if my child is older than seven?

It is never too late. Speak with your parish; older children are prepared in a program suited to their age, sometimes together with baptism or confirmation.

Can non-Catholic family members receive Communion at the First Communion Mass?

Catholics believe that receiving Communion expresses full communion with the Catholic Church, so non-Catholics are asked not to receive, but they are warmly welcome to come forward for a blessing or to pray in their seats.

More guides

Texts and sources

Scripture: John 6:48–52; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1322, 1324, 1374, 1387 and 1415.
Code of Canon Law, canons 913, 914 and 919; Pius X, decree Quam Singulari (1910).
The prayers on this page were written for this page.