First Eucharist & First Reconciliation

The Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith: it is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Pope Francis has called it the "Sacrament of Love," and stated that "the Eucharist is at the heart of 'Christian initiation', together with Baptism and Confirmation, and it constitutes the source of the Church’s life itself. From this Sacrament of love, in fact, flows every authentic journey of faith, of communion, and of witness."  In anticipation of receiving the Lord in the Eucharist, we reflect on our lives, ask for God's forgiveness for the times we fall short, and receive absolution from our sins through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

The Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion (First Eucharist) are normally celebrated in the Spring of the 2nd grade year**, and our students' excitement as they prepare reminds us all how blessed we are to be able to receive this incredible gift of Christ's true presence.

While we do not yet know exact dates, First Reconciliation will take place sometime during the season of Lent and First Holy Communion will take place during the Easter Season.  We will make that information available to you as soon as the dates are scheduled.

The Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion require that a candidate be baptized in the Catholic Church.  Preparation for these Sacraments is necessary,  and in accordance with the Sacramental Preparation guidelines of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, students are prepared in the following ways:

Students who are NOT enrolled in a Catholic School:

• enroll and participate in parish faith formation 
• attend an additional student-only Sacramental Preparation workshop each month
• attend two family retreats (one for First Reconciliation and one for First Communion)

Students who ARE enrolled in a Catholic School:

• prepare for the Sacraments during their Religion classes at school
• attend the spring family retreat/rehearsal  
  

All families wishing for their child to receive the Sacraments at Christ the King Parish must complete the registration form (see below) so the parish can verify/ record the Sacrament (s).  

All families who are not registered parishioners at Christ the King Parish will need to obtain a letter from the pastor of their home parish granting permission for their child to receive the Sacrament(s) at Christ the King Parish. This includes Catholic School families.  These letters can be sent to:

Christ the King Parish (ATTN: Donna Lew-Buechel)
342 Dorseyville Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15215

All families of children who were NOT baptized at one of the former parishes that make up Christ the King (Saint Joseph, Saint Juan Diego, Saint Pio and Saint Scholastica Parishes) will need to provide a copy of the child's Baptismal certificate NO LATER than November 1st. If you need to obtain a certificate, please contact the parish where the baptism took place or, if it was in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, contact the Archives at https://diopitt.org/archives or 412-456-3158.