First Holy Communion on Holy Thursday April 9, 2009

Thank you very much for all your prayers for Gabriela’s First Holy Communion. The Holy Mass was beautiful and will be remembered for a long time. Alleluia, Thanks be to God!

We had a nice celebration after the Holy Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe hall and Br. Louis performed a juggling act for us. You are very talented Brother! 

First Holy Communion Preparation Novena

As part of Gabriela’s 1st Holy Communion preparation, we are doing a nine day novena to Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament & the Archangel Gabriel. Gabriela’s uncle, Fr. Miguel wrote the novena prayers and The Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration made these beautiful novena cards. Our gratitude and thanks to Fr. Miguel Marie and The Sisters for being a part of Gabriela’s 1st Holy Communion preparation. Beautiful prayers and beautiful novena cards!
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Novena to Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament
and the Archangel Gabriel
for the occasion of First Holy Communion Preparation

Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Mary, my Mother, I love you. Thank you for always leading us to Jesus. Teach me how to assist properly at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Prepare my mind and heart for my First Holy Communion. Pour your love into my little heart. Help me to always be ready to receive Jesus. Whenever I am not ready because of serious sin, lead me to Confession so that I would be ready to receive your Son. Help me to always receive Holy Communion worthily as if it would be my first time, or as if it would be my last time, or as if it would be my only time. And lead me to visit and adore frequently your Son, Jesus, Who is truly and really present in the Most Blessed Sacrament, the Holy Eucharist.

Archangel Gabriel, my patron, pray for me and be always with me especially as I approach Jesus, our God, to receive Him and to adore Him in the Holy Eucharist. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

BIG and Important Word

We are in preparation for Gabriela’s 1st Communion, God willing it will be on Holy Thursday. During the preparation, among other things, she has to know the meaning of transubstantiation [tran-suh-b-stan-shee-ey-shuhn] Even I had a difficult time pronouncing this word, but I think I got it now!

According to the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Transubstantiation means the change of the whole substance of bread into the substance of the Body of Christ and of the whole substance of wine into the substance of his Blood. This change is brought about in the eucharistic prayer through the efficacy of the word of Christ and by the action of the Holy Spirit. However, the outward characteristics of bread and wine, that is the “eucharistic species”, remain unaltered.

Let’s keep Gabriela in your prayers during her 1st Communion preparation that the Holy Spirit will guide her during these days and to continue opening her heart and mind to love the Eucharist and to understand fully what this sacrament is all about.