First Holy Communion Saint Casimir Roman Catholic Church

Yonkers, NY

May 15th, 2016

In the Courtyard in front of Saint Casimir Church

CELEBRANT: Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

THE FAITHFUL: For ever and ever. Amen.

CELEBRANT: I am very happy that we, as a parish, can celebrate and share this

joyous day. There are but a few ceremonies in the course of the year that are as beautiful and

moving as today's, when the children of our parish receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist for

the first time. We rejoice and hope that these moments will remain firmly etched in our collective

memory. Today, we are uniquely united in Christian love and in the shared hope that these chil-

dren will be filled with the fullness of God's gifts, that they will be happy and be protected from

all evil. May they see that following Christ is honorable and full of grace, and that these are

what will give true meaning to their lives. For this, we will soon be fervently praying at Mass.

Now let the children ask their parents for a blessing.

(Julio Medina): Dear fathers, because you love us and care for us, we know

that we can always count on you. Today, on the day of our First Holy Communion, we

ask you for your blessing. For us, it is an important sign of your love.

(Anna Traynor): Dear mothers, you are a great gift to us. Today, we thank

you for your love, for your kindness and for your gentleness. We ask that you give us

your blessing, as you give us your loving hearts every day.

CELEBRANT: Fathers, please place you hands on your child ’s head, and repeat these

words of blessing, after which we ask the children to respond: Amen.

FATHERS: May this blessing be with you, today and every day of your life.

CHILDREN: Amen.

CELEBRANT: Mothers please lay you hands on you child ’s head and repeat these

words of blessing, after which we ask the children to respond: Amen.

MOTHERS: May this blessing keep you and protect you every day.

CHILDREN: Amen.

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CELEBRANT: Let us pray. Our good Father, on the day of our baptism You made us

Your children, and summoned us to be faithful to You, in communion with the Church. May this

holy water, with which we will soon be blessed, remind us of that important day, and unite us in

a common prayer that dwelling among us always will be Christ, Your Son, whom the children

gathered here will soon receive for the first time. You, Who live and reign forever and ever.

THE FAITHFUL: Amen.

The priest sprinkles holy water on the faithful and in procession with all the gathered,

proceeds into the church.

IN THE CHURCH BEFORE THE HOLY MASS

PARENTS (Mrs. & Mr. Mul): We are very happy that during this solemn Mass,

our children will be able to receive and accept the greatest gift from God the Father - the gift of

His Son. We know that Christ will come to them today because He loves them dearly. Through

the gift of the Eucharist, He will become even more than their Friend and Guide. He will be-

come for them the bread that gives eternal life. Our dear pastor, we ask that You celebrate this

Holy Mass for the intentions of our children, who today, for the first time will receive the

sacrament of love - the Eucharist. We hope that for many of us this will be the beginning of a

new stage in our spiritual journey of faith, that we may more ardently long for the Bread of

Life, that is Jesus Christ.

(Magdalena Wójcik): We know that God is love and that He comes to us

with love. Today, we want to feel that love with all our hearts.

(Sebastian Szeliga): That is why we are waiting for the moment when we

finally receive our Lord Jesus in Holy Communion. We want to do it with great faith

and love. We therefore ask everyone to please pray for us.

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READINGS

• First Reading - Kacper Mul (in Polish)

• Psalm - Julia Murawski

• Second Reading - Romel Perez (in English)

• Gospel + Homily - Fr. Tomasz Wilk OSPPE

Czytanie z Dziejów Apostolskich

Kiedy nadszedł dzień Pięćdziesiątnicy, znajdowali się wszyscy razem na tym samym miejscu. Nagle spadł z nieba szum, jakby uderzenie gwałtownego wiatru, i napełnił cały dom, w którym przebywali. Ukazały się im też języki jakby z ognia, które się rozdzieliły, i na każdym z nich spoczął jeden. I wszyscy zostali napełnieni Duchem Świętym, i zaczęli mówić obcymi językami, tak jak im Duch pozwalał mówić.

Przebywali wtedy w Jerozolimie pobożni Żydzi ze wszystkich narodów pod słońcem. Kiedy więc powstał ów szum, zbiegli się tłumnie i zdumieli, bo każdy słyszał, jak przemawiali w jego własnym języku.

Pełni zdumienia i podziwu mówili: ”Czyż ci wszyscy, którzy przemaw-iają, nie są Galilejczykami? Jakżeż więc każdy z nas słyszy swój własny język ojczysty? – Partowie i Medowie, i Elamici, i mieszkańcy Mezopotamii, Judei oraz Kapadocji, Pontu i Azji, Frygii oraz Pamfilii, Egiptu i tych części Libii, które leżą blisko Cyreny, i przybysze z Rzymu, Żydzi oraz prozelici, Kreteńczycy i Arabowie – słyszymy ich głoszących w naszych językach wielkie dzieła Boże”.

Oto Słowo Boże.

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PSALM RESPONSORYJNY

Refren: Niech zstąpi Duch Twój i odnowi ziemię.

Błogosław, duszo moja, Pana,o Boże mój, Panie, Ty jesteś bardzo wielki.Jak liczne są dzieła Twoje, Panie,ziemia jest pełna Twych stworzeń.Refren.Gdy odbierasz im oddech, marniejąi w proch się obracają.Stwarzasz je, napełniając swym duchemi odnawiasz oblicze ziemi.Refren.Niech chwała Pana trwa na wieki,niech Pan się raduje z dzieł swoich,Niech miła Mu będzie pieśń moja,będę radował się w Panu.Refren.Ps 104, 1ab i 24ac.29bc–30.31 i 34

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Second Reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Romans.

Brothers and sisters: Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you. Consequently, brothers and sisters, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption, through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!”

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

This is the Word of God.

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R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful

and kindle in them the fire of your love.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

+ A Reading from the holy Gospel according to John.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.

The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you re-tain are retained.”

The Gospel of the Lord.Praise to You Lord Jesus Christ.

• Profession of Faith - ALL TOGETHER

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PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL

CELEBRANT: With faith, let us now present our petitions to God.

(Julia Chwedoruk): Let us pray for the Holy Church, may it feed us with the

word of God and the bread of the Eucharist which gives eternal life. Let us pray to

the Lord...

FAITHFUL: Lord, hear our prayer.

(Mateusz Jasik): Let us pray for our parents, siblings, relatives and friends.

May they enjoy the gift of deep faith, health, peace of heart and joy of life. Let us

pray to the Lord...

FAITHFUL: Lord, hear our prayer.

(Amelia Wajdzik): Let us pray for all the priests, catechists, teachers, and all

who helped us in preparation for our First Confession and Holy Communion, may

God bless them and bestow upon them the gifts they need for happiness and salva-

tion. Let us pray to the Lord...

FAITHFUL: Lord, hear our prayer.

(Adam Grodecki):Let us pray for these children who today, for the first time,

will receive the Lord Jesus in Holy Communion. May they love Him with all their

hearts and forever live faithfully. Let us pray to the Lord...

FAITHFUL: Lord, hear our prayer.

(Olivia Traynor): Let us pray for our dearly departed, may the good Lord

grant them mercy, forgiveness and full blessings in heaven. Let us pray to the

Lord...

FAITHFUL: Lord, hear our prayer.

(Gabriel Jimenez): Let us pray for all of us gathered here. May each of us be

grateful for the gift of the Eucharist, and experience with faith and love the en-

counter with our Lord Jesus in Holy Communion. Let us pray to the Lord...

FAITHFUL: Lord, hear our prayer.

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CELEBRANT: Lord, accept these petitions, that with great faith, hope and love we

offer upon Your altar. You, who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

PRESENTATION OF THE GIFTS

During the procession for the presentation of the gifts, children designated by the cate-

chist will read brief comments, while those carrying the gifts will present them to the celebrant.

This will be followed by a hymn.

(Mateusz Koszewicz): Lord, through Your goodness, the earth gives us

bread. Please, accept it and transform it into the Body of Your Son, so that we, thus

nourished, may have eternal life in heaven.

(Magdalena Wójcik): Lord, through Your goodness, the earth gives us the

fruits of the vine. Take this wine and transform it into the blood of Your Son, so that

we may drink of it and rejoice with the saints in heaven.

(Mateusz Koszewicz): Lord, may this lit candle remind us that Christ is

among us and that He loves us. Make each of us burn with love for You.

(Magdalena Wójcik): Lord, You have created a wonderful world, which de-

lights our eyes. Help us to act such that our lives are as beautiful as these flowers.

(Mateusz Koszewicz): Lord, please accept this gift of our hearts, which w

offer together with our parents. It is an expression of our love and gratitude.

THE OFFERINGS:

• HOSTS: Gabriel Jimenez

• WINE & WATER: Julio Medina

• CANDLE: Mateusz Jasik

• FLOWERS: Anna Traynor

• BREAD: Paweł Ledwoń (Jesus, you are bread for us. Jesus, you are life for us. In your gift

of Eucharist. We find love)

• HEART: Joanna Poriccelli

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HOLY COMMUNION

Words spoken by the children before receiving Holy Communion (after the words,

"Lord, I am not worthy ...)

(Anna Traynor): Lord Jesus, thank you that in a moment You will come to

me. I have longed for You and waited for this moment, when you will come to dwell

in me. I ask that You to come and shower me with love, peace and the joy of God.

Please give me strength so that I may live the way You want me to, in friendship with

You and with every person.

(ALL CHILDREN): Amen.

• HOLY COMMUNION

THANKSGIVING

(after receiving Holy Communion)

(Olivia Traynor): Lord Jesus, You have come to us, as You once did to the

apostles. You have come in the form of bread and wine. You are now closer to us

than ever before. We will alway remember this day with joy. It is a unique day for us,

because from this day on, we can meet with You in church and receive You during

Holy Communion.

(Amelia Wajdzik):This is why we thank You, Lord Jesus, with all our hearts.

We know that through the gift of Holy Communion we will deepen and strengthen

our friendship with You. We love You and we wish to express our gratitude through

the words of this song.

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• PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

THANKS

Thanks to the Parish Pastor:

(Mrs. Grodecki): Dear Father, thank you for giving us today the Lord Jesus in

Holy Communion. We are happy that on this extraordinary day you were here with

us. We value your concern for us and the heart you put into preparing us for our

meeting with our Lord Jesus in the sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist.

(Mr. Grodecki): Dear Father, we promise to keep you in our intentions. We

will ask for God's blessings upon you, and for the strength needed for the joyful work

in the name of the Lord Jesus, so that it may bring much good to our entire parish.

Thanks to the parents:

(Sebastian Szeliga): Dear Parents, we are happy that we have you. We know

that every day you surround us with love, because who else but you know how to love

us so fully with all your heart. Perhaps we do not always say "I love you", but know

that we carry you in our hearts like the greatest treasure. Today's celebration of Holy

Communion is also your Holy Day, because it is you who brought us to the Lord Je-

sus. From our baptism we followed you to church. From you we learned our prayers.

Under your care we did our religion lessons. You have done so much for us. That is

why we want to tell you, "You are wonderful, we love you."

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Thanks to the Catechists:

(Romel Perez): We would also like to thank our dear catechists. Thank you

for your patience. Thank you for your love and for helping us with ours. Thank you

for everything you have done to make this day a joyous celebration. Thanks to you,

we know so much more about our Lord Jesus. We know that He loves each of us and

that He wants our happiness and salvation. We have learned from you that He is a

wonderful friend to have. Today, on the day of First Holy Communion, we not only

know this but feel it in the depth of our hearts. We ask you to help us to continue to

live in friendship with the Lord Jesus.

Thanks to our guests:

(Julia Murawski): Dear guests, we are very pleased that you came to our

celebration and together with us, share the joy of the coming of our Lord Jesus

through the Holy Communion. We know that you prayed for us with all your hearts:

you, our grandmothers, grandparents, siblings, godparents, relatives, friends, and the

directors, teachers and educators of our schools. Your help and kindness accompa-

nied us from the beginning in our preparation for this solemn First Holy Commu-

nion. We are grateful for this and promise that we will remember you in our prayers.

So to everyone here in the church we say with gratitude: "God bless you."

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