Of holy things

A chance visit to a parish church in the Loughboy area of Kilkenny City provided an interesting insight for me into church layout and symbolism. The church of St Fiacre is located beside a busy shopping area and access road on the outskirts of the city in the parish of StPatrick’s. The church building is in what might be styled avant-garde design typical of many Catholic churches constructed in the 1970-1980s. It appears, from online sources, that this church was opened around 1991.  It is arranged in a theatre or fan style with the focus on the  light coming from the sanctuary area.  The sanctuary area feels very open and accessible with minimal clutter. Still, some important and holy things are kept there including the Altar, an imposing and very large wooden cross, the Tabernacle, the lectern, the presider’s chair, the baptism font and, unusually, a box (or Ambry) containing three types of holy oil:

The full armour

 

Continuing on from yesterday's blog, I consider once again the grounds for the practice of first Holy Communion in the Roman Catholic Church. The present-day sequence is as follows:

Baptism → Holy communion → Confirmation

This sequence, which has been in place since the early decades of the last century is a relatively modern practice and was fairly unique among the main branches of Christianity up until recent times.

Welcome little children

 

At this time of year, most parishes across the world in the Roman Catholic Church are preparing children for the reception of first Holy Communion. It is a special moment on the spiritual journey undertaken by families who wish that their children be admitted to full eucharistic communion with the worldwide church.  It is no small thing to receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Jesus once told his disciples:

‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs’  (Mark 10:14)

Hopefully, all of these children will continue to experience the blessings of attending Sunday Mass on a weekly basis wherever they are.  It is, of course, a family choice and parents are the guardians and the exemplars. If the Eucharist means a huge amount to us then we will take the time, effort and trouble to make it a top priority every weekend no matter what.