Saturday, March 07, 2009

First Holy Communion help?



Today I had a meeting with our First Holy Communion catechists. One of the things that came up was the issue of certificates. I had wanted to get away from the certificates that I found when I got here which have a picture of a loaf of bread and glass of wine. So I bought certificates from the CTS which show The Last Supper (see the illustration). I thought they were nice. However they were not popular at all. There were complaints that the paschal lamb looked more like a rat and that St Peter looks angry and although Judas is meant to look unpleasant they didn`t like this either. So I got out my First Holy Communion certificate from 1966 by Laverty and Sons of Leeds and that was very popular. It shows Jesus standing with a chalice and about to administer the Host to a group of five children. Behind them is a cherry tree in full blossom. I was surprised that this was popular and said I`d try to find something similar. However searching on the web has produced no results. I even tried the SSPX Angelus Press but couldn`t see anything.


If anyone has any idea where to find any tasteful First Holy Communion certificates would you please let me know?

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello Father, I wondered whether this site was suitable , I don't think it's Catholic, but the style of certificate looks traditional and maybe what you are looking for.
http://childrensalon.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_228&products_id=3471
John Vincent.

Anonymous said...

Father,

Worth a search on Google. Have a look at:

http://www.cenacle.co.uk/lists/FirstCommunion.htm

some nice examples if you scroll down.

Fr Michael Brown said...

Thanks Malcolm, I id search Google and I think I saw those: it has the CTS ones again. THere is another Last Supper but I think they wanted something more along the lines of someone receiving the Host.

Mulier Fortis said...

You could always try printing your own... colour printers are pretty good these days. This would also mean that you could scan in the one the parishioners liked...

Fr Patrick said...

Try
http://www.sacramentals.com/1stCommandConfGifts.htm

American firm but look interesting.

Marianne said...

Fr Michael
Three years ago we (St Benedict's Ealing Abbey)decided to design and print our own. Much much better on many fronts: able to choose own picture-we opted for a Fra Frangelico image, we are able to print child's name and quickly correct if mistake made, we also have a drawing of the Abbey on the certificate, it costs pennies, so much cheaper and more beautiful than anything available commercially.

Anonymous said...

Dear Father,

Unsure how to get hold of it but last Thursday I was given a memorial card at a Requiem Mass with Christ distributing Communion. On the back it is identified thus: 'Cristo che distribuisce la Comunione - Kiev -XII sec.', Obviously italian but, if able to locate it, you could perhaps print your own.

In Christo,
Anthony Bidgood

Volpius Leonius said...

Check your email Father.

Fr Michael Brown said...

Very many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to make helpful suggestions either in the com box or by email. I think we will go down the path of making our own now. Problem solved!

fr paul harrison said...

Gosh, you have brought back memories. My first communion certificate was from Laverty and Sons!

Anonymous said...

I don't remember getting any certificate at all when I made my first Communion. Actually I made TWO 'first' Communions - the first in my own parish, then a few days later with the school which was in a different parish :-)

Pastor in Monte said...

Perhaps a bit off-message, but the presence in your certificate of a paschal lamb at the last supper (whether ratiform or not) strikes me as being at least as odd as the loaf and glass of wine. I had always understood that the peculiar thing about our Lord celebrating the Passover on the eve of Passover preparation day was precisely that there could be no lamb, since the sacrifice would take place that year on (Good) Friday, which St John tells us was Passover Prep day. So, instead of the lamb, our Lord took bread, broke it and said………

Fr Michael Brown said...

I am aware of the debate about whether the Last Supper was a Passover meal or not. St John says it was on the eve, the others say it was a Passover meal. So if it was a passover meal the lamb would be there.