First Communion

First Communion is a ceremony in some Christian traditions during which a person of the church first receives the Eucharist.^[1] It is most common in many parts of the Latin tradition of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church and Anglican Communion (other ecclesiastical provinces of these denominations administer a congregant's First Communion after they receive baptism and confirmation).^[2]^[3] In churches that celebrate a rite of First Communion separate from baptism or confirmation, it typically occurs between the ages of seven and thirteen, often acting as a rite of passage. In other denominations first communion ordinarily follows the reception of confirmation, which occurs at some point in adolescence or adulthood, while Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christians first receive the sacrament of Holy Communion in infancy, along with Holy Baptism and Chrismation.

^ Jethro Higgins (2018). Holy Communion: What is the Eucharist?. Oregon Catholic Press.
^ Smith, Peter Jesserer (21 March 2020). "Ordinariate Becomes 14th U.S. 'Restored Order' Diocese". National Catholic Register. Retrieved 22 March 2020. With the recent pastoral letter "Come, Holy Ghost," Bishop Steven Lopes revealed the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter would now become the 14th Latin-Rite diocese to make the reception of Holy Eucharist which normally follows Confirmation, something commonly called "restored order" of the sacraments, with a focus on involving the child's family in sacramental preparation. ... The following U.S. Latin-Rite dioceses have currently embraced a restored order for the Sacraments of Initiation: Saginaw, Michigan (1995); Great Falls-Billings, Montana (1996); Portland, Maine (1997); Spokane, Washington (1998); Fargo, North Dakota (2002); Gaylord, Michigan (2003); Tyler, Texas (2005); Phoenix, Arizona (2005); Honolulu, Hawaii (2015); Denver, Colorado (2015); Manchester, New Hampshire (2017); Springfield, Illinois (2017); Gallup, New Mexico (2019); and the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter (2020).
^ "At what age do congregation members receive communion?" (PDF). Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. 2013. p. 1. Retrieved 15 March 2020. Some congregations follow a pattern familiar to older generations of Lutherans: first communion is received at the time of confirmation. A generation ago, many of our congregations began preparing catechetical material for children to receive their first communion when they reached fifth grade.

[1] Jethro Higgins (2018). Holy Communion: What is the Eucharist?. Oregon Catholic Press.

[Smith2020-2] Smith, Peter Jesserer (21 March 2020). "Ordinariate Becomes 14th U.S. 'Restored Order' Diocese". National Catholic Register. Retrieved 22 March 2020. With the recent pastoral letter "Come, Holy Ghost," Bishop Steven Lopes revealed the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter would now become the 14th Latin-Rite diocese to make the reception of Holy Eucharist which normally follows Confirmation, something commonly called "restored order" of the sacraments, with a focus on involving the child's family in sacramental preparation. ... The following U.S. Latin-Rite dioceses have currently embraced a restored order for the Sacraments of Initiation: Saginaw, Michigan (1995); Great Falls-Billings, Montana (1996); Portland, Maine (1997); Spokane, Washington (1998); Fargo, North Dakota (2002); Gaylord, Michigan (2003); Tyler, Texas (2005); Phoenix, Arizona (2005); Honolulu, Hawaii (2015); Denver, Colorado (2015); Manchester, New Hampshire (2017); Springfield, Illinois (2017); Gallup, New Mexico (2019); and the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter (2020).

[ELCA2013-3] "At what age do congregation members receive communion?" (PDF). Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. 2013. p. 1. Retrieved 15 March 2020. Some congregations follow a pattern familiar to older generations of Lutherans: first communion is received at the time of confirmation. A generation ago, many of our congregations began preparing catechetical material for children to receive their first communion when they reached fifth grade.

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