Friday, May 02, 2008

Personal: Goddaughter receiving First Holy Communion

This weekend, my wife and I are driving ~14 hours (round trip), down to Franklin, VA and back. My God-daughter and niece, Sarah, is receiving her First Holy Communion this Sunday.

What will we listen to in the car? I've got a CD of assorted chant and polyphony from my friend Emily, another CD (O Lux Beatissima) of chant, and I'm thinking of burning a CD of O Fortuna (which I love, and Kristin and I heard performed a couple of months ago); Kristin has a CD of polyphony (by The Orlando Consort).

Hrm, what else...? Perhaps some non-sacred music by Guster (a band Kristin and I both enjoy). And Still Alive from Portal. And a handful of clever songs by Jonathan Coulton.

What would you suggest?

7 comments:

Gretchen said...

So, how did it go?

Jeffrey Pinyan said...

It went quite well. Perhaps I'll have a picture online soon of me with my Goddaughter.

Apart from a couple oddities during the Mass (the priest forgot to do the Creed) the strangest thing was one poor child receiving Holy Communion for the first time who received the Host and placed it in his mouth and took two steps over to the chalice... and was absolutely puzzled about what to do (since he had not even begun to physically consume the Host), and proceeded to remove the Host from his mouth! The priest had to intervene ("no, swallow it first").

Sarah only received the Host (as did a couple others in the class of eight), which is perfectly fine of course, and I'm glad the children weren't required to receive under both species... it means that concomitance is still being taught in some manner. (Her CCD class also prays the Rosary once a month, which is great!)

Gretchen said...

Okay, I need a lesson here. Concomitance? Thank you, teacher. :-)

Jeffrey Pinyan said...

Concomitance is the belief that Jesus is wholly present in every particle of the consecrated bread and wine. Although the Host is the sign of his Body and the Chalice is the sign of his Blood, both the Host and the Chalice contain the whole Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus.

Thus, you don't have to receive under both species to have a "complete" Communion, you don't get "less" Jesus if you only receive the Host, and you don't get "more" Jesus if you receive under both kinds.

Moonshadow said...

during the Mass (the priest forgot to do the Creed)

Was the service on Sunday (as your post says) or Saturday? If the latter, then the Creed isn't recited at what constitutes a "weekday" mass.

the strangest thing was one poor child

Sounds as if he might have missed a practice session.

the children weren't required to receive under both species

My son didn't opt for the cup either. Yes, they are taught as you say.

My son's class was well rehearsed and it was all quite beautiful. Glad yours was the same.

Gretchen said...

Yes, I thought that was it. Thank you.

Russ Rentler, M.D. said...

what! no russ rentler CD?
I gotta get the demo of the new catholic album to you. Can you e mail me your address and I will get one out to you
God bless