First Communion

First communion after confirmation is the practice advocated by the Prayer Book rubrics but seldom observed anymore. Generally, adults will be communed whenever they show up. Children, who knows. Paedo-communion is having a revival in some corners of the Anglican world. When I take mine to events with me, I'm generally asked if they communicate or receive a blessing, and I've got them trained to cross their arms across their chests, which I thought was an obvious sign to give the blessing.

The mainline Lutherans are prone to having the first communion a couple of years before they put the children into confirmation class. I've found this odd as in practice the children subsequently seem to receive infrequently and if they do not finish confirmation they may have the sacrament withheld at some point. Several of the older Lutheran pastors around me have suggested that my older daughter (11) is of the age for first communion. One suggested that I let him give her whatever class he has for the subject to which I responded, "I've already instructed her; she doesn't feel that she wants first communion." I ask her from time to time and she's still not amenable.

In Australian Anglicanism, at least, it's become quite normal to see admission to communion, and confirmation, as separate stages in a person's developing maturity in faith. Baptism is understood as sufficient initiation to allow someone to receive communion, provided they are then able to understand what it is they are doing etc. And it's left to the parents and the parish priest to undertake any necessary preparation, and agree when they see the child as ready to take that step. Adults who are baptised but not confirmed are generally left to decide for themselves.

That said, in my experience making a big deal of a "first communion" is less common.

My own daugther, at 14, is a regular communicant but is not yet wanting to be confirmed (in her case, she's dreading having to be the centre of attention "up the front" in a confirmation service, rather than the faith commitment as such). I am content with that.

The practice in the (American) Episcopal Church is that anyone who has been baptized, including young children, may receive communion. As a practical matter, the child should probably be old enough to handle solid food; but with that noted, the toddlers in our parish receive communion alongside their adult parents.

I couldn't find a statement in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer specifying the policy for children, but I found this from the national church's website: Communion

I think this policy may be new with the 1979 BCP, because there was a shift at that time towards taking baptism very seriously as the full entrance rite into the church.

My parish occasionally has a brief set of classes for children whose parents want them to receive formal instruction before receiving communion. It's totally optional, but some families choose the classes. My area of the US has a large Catholic population, and many of our parishioners are former Catholics; it makes sense that someone with that background might seek out a first-communion instruction class for their children.

RamiC said:

Our Families Minister was raised Roman Catholic, and we have a local church mission commitment to immigrants and refugees.

The only child yesterday who was dressed in a long white lacy dress, with a big white pearl headband as well, is from a family who are here for refuge from Syria. Maybe our Priest thought that if we are going to be hospitable she could just let them do things the way they always have, and that was the way they always have.

The same Priest has told me that I can come to church in my hiking gear (I am not a big white dress sort of woman).

Click to expand...

Honestly, (as a parish priest) I would so not fuss about what kids wear for something like that. I probably wouldn't even raise if unless I were asked.

Want to wear a white frock etc? Fine. Want to wear whatever you normally hang around in? Fine. The point isn't the clothes.

I also wouldn't fuss about what people wear. I mean, I might have my own private thoughts (!), but they don't belong anywhere outside my own head, generally.