06/08/2026
Today we celebrated The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). Read Father Mike's weekly message below.
It is strange the things we remember from our childhood.
It was a Saturday morning, and my mom was in the kitchen making her famous potato salad. My dad was trying to put a tie on me—the old wrap- around kind that clipped in the back. My First Holy Communion was only an hour away.
I had just received the Sacrament of Confession (that's what we called it back then) the day before. I was making every effort to be a good boy because the good Sisters of St. Joseph—God bless them—told us we had to remain free from sin in order to receive Holy Communion. That was a great deal of pressure for a seven-year-old!
I remember walking up Milmont Avenue to Our Lady of Peace Church, only a few houses away. I went to my classroom, where all of us were inspected by the nuns and told to sit in our seats. There were sixty-eight of us receiving our First Holy Communion that day.
"Stand up straight, look forward, fold your hands, don't smile, and keep in step," were our marching orders.
Once we were seated in our pews, we were told to remain silent because we were about to receive Jesus.
When our row stood, we came out of the pew and reverently approached the altar rail, where we knelt. The pastor came down the line distributing Holy Communion. I was so awed—and
frankly, so frightened—that my folded hands blocked the priest from placing the host on my tongue. Twice he said, "The Body of Christ." Finally, he looked at me and said, "Kloton, move your hands." I moved them and received my First Holy Communion. I have never forgotten that day.
This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. As you reflect on that great gift, what do you remember about your First Holy Communion?
