Serving Norwood, Walpole, and Westwood 650 Nichols Street

ST. TIMOTHY PARISH

Serving Norwood, Walpole, and Westwood 650 Nichols Street

Norwood, Massachusetts 02062

781-769-2522

781-769-9362 Fax

February 2, 2014

Dear Families:

With First Reconciliation complete, it is now time for us to start thinking about First Eucharist. Before I continue, I would like to praise our Second Graders for their amazing behavior during our First Penance services. I am proud of every one of the children, and commend you, their parents and caretakers, for instilling in them a sense of respect and reverence for God and our faith. Thank you.

Now, on to business. Please read this carefully, as it contains a lot of important information.

1.  On Saturday, March 15 we will gather for our First Eucharist Family Supper. As families, we will attend the 4:30 Mass. Immediately following, dinner will be served in the Church Hall. All family members are invited. The supper is catered by Guido’s in Walpole, and consists of pasta, meatballs, salad, rolls, cake and drinks. The cost is $7.00 per adult and $5.00 per child. It is a very fun celebration! If you plan to attend, please return the tear sheet at the end of this letter, along with payment, by Thursday, February 27.

2.  At the First Eucharist Family Supper, I would love to show pictures of all of our candidates in a slide-show format that evening, as we are eating and enjoying each other's company. If you have digital pictures of your child over the years and would like to share them in a slide show that evening, please email the images to me at .

3.  We traditionally dedicate a wall in the Church Hall for our Prayer Wall project. For this, a picture of your child is displayed along with his/her first name. Parishioners are then invited to sign our First Communion prayer book as a promise to pray for your son or daughter as they prepare for their First Communion. If you would like, please send a photo of your child (a candid or a school picture (3”x5”) works well) to the Religious Ed Office by Thursday, March 13. If you prefer not to include a picture, I will supply a generic clip-art picture of a boy or girl making First Communion above your child's first name.

4.  Regarding attire for First Communion, traditionally the girls have worn white or off-white dresses with veils or flowers for their hair. Gloves may be worn, but must be removed when your child receives Communion. The boys are more flexible: some wear white suits, some a navy jacket and pants, some just a white shirt, tie and pants. For shoes, we ask that your child not wear sneakers.

5.  On Tuesday, April 15 from 4:00pm until 5:00pm in the Church Hall, we will prepare for First Communion with a song rehearsal and practice receiving unconsecrated hosts/bread. We also hope to have one of our bread bakers come in that day to demonstrate the process by which the bread is made. If you are involved in the break baking ministry here at St. Tim’s and would like to provide a demonstration, please contact me in the Religious Ed office.

6.  Each year, our Second Graders and their families make banners used to decorate their reserved pew for First Communion. You will receive the kits with which to make these, along with instructions, at the final Second Grade meeting on Sunday, March 2. These will be due back to me by Thursday, April 10.

7.  Because there are many children with various food allergies, I am attaching some information about the ingredients in the hosts/bread and how they are prepared. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

8.  Finally, please give me a call or email me () if you have a priest in your family who would like to concelebrate, if you are an EM or a sibling is an altar server and would like to serve, or if you have any handicapped or wheelchair bound family members who will be attending First Communion Mass.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Peace,

Kathy MacKenzie

781-762-4868

Information Regarding Communion Wafers/Bread

1.  On an ordinary weekend, the two Masses at which the baked bread is offered are the 9:30am and 11:00am Sunday morning Masses. The other Masses offer wafers. The same will hold true on First Communion weekend. The Saturday Masses (10:30am and 4:30pm) will offer wafers, and baked bread will be offered at the 9:30am and 11:00am Sunday Masses.

2.  Canonically, the wafers used for Communion may only be made from water and whole wheat flour.

3.  For the bread that is baked and used during the Sunday morning Masses, the ingredients include: unbleached white flour, whole wheat flour, Perrier water, salt, and non-stick cooking spray (to lightly coat the cooking pan).

4.  The bread bakers use clean utensils when baking the bread. They are not necessarily parents of allergic people, so there would not be any extraordinary measures being taken to ensure cleanliness to the degree that some allergic people require. But they definitely wash the utensils prior to using them in their baking process.

5.  There is a process that those who have severe gluten sensitivities follow. There are several steps to this process, and using the process involves meeting with our Pastoral Associate, Colleen Campion, and letting Father know about its use by a particular parishioner. If you are interested in this, please contact Colleen Campion (781-769-2522 or ).

Important First Communion Information

Below is the date on which your child will receive First Communion. Please plan to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the Mass. To remind us of our call to service, we ask that you bring a canned good offering that day for those in need.

Child's Name: ______

First Communion date/time Rehearsal date/time

____ Saturday, May 3 at 10:30 am Wednesday, April 30 at 5pm

____ Saturday, May 3 at 4:30 pm Wednesday, April 30 at 4pm

____ Sunday, May 4 at 9:30 am Tuesday, April 29 at 5pm

____ Sunday, May 4 at 11:00 am Tuesday, April 29 at 4pm

As always, please call or email me with any questions.

Peace and God Bless,

Kathy MacKenzie

FIRST EUCHARIST SUPPER*

Please RSVP by Thursday, February 27, 2014

______Adults ______Children will attend the First Eucharist Supper on Saturday, March 15, 2014 following 4:30pm Mass. (Price: $7.00 per adult, $5.00 per child)

$______Enclosed

First Communicant's Name______

*Note: According to Guido’s Restaurant, the only ingredient which may be an issue for one with allergies is sesame seeds on the Italian Bread, which may in turn get into the rolls. Also, the cake is provided by Hannaford Supermarket.