First Communion: Tips for a Perfect Celebration 2021

Celebrating your First Communion is an event that generates great enthusiasm for both parents and children. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these celebrations had to be suspended or postponed for later dates. Now that we are returning to a “new normal” and many activities are beginning to resume, you may be thinking about finally celebrating your Childs First Communion. But the question still remains, how can we do this safely? Therefore, today I share 13 Tips to Celebrate a Safe First Communion even in Times of Pandemic.

Index

1. What is the First Communion
2. Know the precise age to celebrate First Communion.
3. It is important to register in advance with the church or parish to organize the logistics of the ceremony.
4. You must meet certain requirements to make First Communion.
5. Choose Dresses and Suits suitable to celebrate the First Communion.
6. Buy jewelry alluding to the First Communion.
7. Celebrate in a room or home.
8. Celebrate outdoors.
9. First Communion decoration.
10. Buffet for First Communion.
11. Photo and video service.
12. Send Virtual Invitations.
13. Animators to celebrate First Communion.

1. What is First Communion?

The First Communion is the religious celebration in which a boy or girl participates for the first time in the Eucharist; It is the second sacrament of the Catholic Church and in order to carry it out, the boys and girls receive a time of catechesis with a priest. The first communions are formally celebrated in a Parish or Catholic Church. Later, a family and friends gathering is held to celebrate this important event together in honor of the  child. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that these events are held always taking physical distancing measures and wearing masks as mandated by the CDC.

2. Know the precise age to celebrate First Communion

The celebration of First Communion takes place between 8 and 11 years of age. Since, it is considered that children already have knowledge and awareness of the importance of performing this sacrament of the Catholic Church.

3. It is important to register in advance with the Church or Parish to organize the logistics of the ceremony.

To make the First Communion you must register the date and time in advance in the Parish or Church; Since there may be, like you, many mothers and fathers who are eager to make the First Communions of their sons and daughters. You should also keep in mind that each Churches or Parishes may have their own rules in place in respect to soical distincing as well as restraints in place regarding the allowable occupancy. Pay close attention to the prescribed hygiene measures and keep in mind that State and Local regulations may change at any given time.  You should keep in commubnication with your parish priest in advance and make sure that you have the latest updates and informaztion as it becomes available. Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church, Our Lady of Fatima Roman Catholic Church and Blessed Sacrament Church are some of the Catholic churches in New York where you can celebrate First Communion.

4. Your Child Must meet certain requirements to be eligible to partake in the First Communion.

For a boy or girl to be able to perform this sacrament, they must meet two essential requirements:

A. Having been baptized.

B. Have completed catechetical classes.

5. Choose the right Dress and/or Suit  to celebrate the First Communion.

Due to the Pandemic situation, you could choose to buy 2 different outfits: one to be used in the church, and one for the meeting afterwards. Remember that these dresses and suits must comply with certain formalities generally agreed upon with the priest or parish priest and that, although outside the Church it is no longer essential to follow them, it is important that the clothing is according to the occasion. Here are some ideas of dresses and suits that you can buy for First Communion 👇👇

               

6. Buy jewelry alluding to the First Communion.

In addition, you can complement your outfit with some jewelry such as bracelets and necklaces with a cross charm. You can find some very nice ones on Amazon, like these:

     

7. Celebrate in a hall or home.

If you want to celebrate the First Communion at home or rent a hall; it is important that it is a spacious and a well ventilated place. Depending on the number of guests you want to have, you should consider enough space to have social distancing and avoid the spread of viruses.

8. Celebrate outdoors.

Another very good option, considering that summer is near; is celebrating in the open air. For this, you have options such as a park or a yard, it can even be a garage. As in the previous point, you must consider the number of guests you will have, in order to  verify the space you will use for the celebration.

9. First Communion Decoration.

Just because we are in times of pandemic, you are not going to stop decorating to celebrate your First Communion. You should consider the proper decorations that compliment the place you chose: such as a garden, a living room, a house, a park, etc. Each of them is different and the decoration must be in harmony with the place your choose. Here are some examples of decoration made by Faba Ames Deco. You can contact them through their Facebook page here

10. Buffet for First Communion.

A good idea is always to place a table of varied sandwiches. To do this, you must take into account hygiene measures so that the table is clean and the guests are safe when eating from it. To choose the buffet you should also consider the place where you are holding your celebration, to prevent insects or other animals from spoiling your food. 

11. Photo and video service.

It is important that this event, which only occurs once in the life of a child, is saved not only in memory, but also in photographs and videos. Therefore, we recommend that you hire a good Photography and Video service; You can request that they send you some examples of their past work and they can arrange a session before or after the celebration. At Fabiola’s Kids we have a Photography and Video Service for your First Communion! You can communicate here .

12. Send Virtual Invitations.

One of the recommendations of the World Health Organization is to avoid the exchange of objects between several people. Therefore, a good option would be to make and deliver virtual invitations that you can send by WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram or email. Creating them and disrributing them to your guests is very easy, you can opt for online tools such as Canva or Desygner ; also, you can use a short video format.

13. Animators to celebrate First Communion.

The usual option for activities at a communion party is hiring to Fabiola’s Kids, She provide clowns, expert entertainers, magicians, face painting , Fun and games, piñatas, cotton candy and more. Fabiola’s Kids have a variety of package to choose.

Professional Face Painters: Will Create Cheek Art On Your Face, Arms Or Hands. Unique & Fun Events.

Also you can choose religious characters such as The Holy Bible and others.

Outdoors Activities and Games:
If you’ve chosen to celebrate it outdoors or at least you´re given the choice of an open air space where children can run around and play, you have plenty of options.

Indoor Activities and Games:
If you´ve chosen to celebrate it indoors, a great activity is to project a movie that kids will love and organize a karaoke session.

Magic Show: Let our amazing magicians dazzle your child at his or her First Communion celebration with a magic show they will never forget! 

A great finale with a cotton candy for all the kids with variety flavored.

After the show you can include a Balloon Twister .

The parents can have their own entertaining moment with magicians, or join the games with the kids. The ideal in this case is to organize it with a single team of young and old participating in the different games, and then distribute the final prize among all the children.

All of this, will be possible if you hire to Fabiola’s Kids Entertainment. She will make your dreams a reality.