“The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.” The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being. It is the culmination both of God’s action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit. Finally, by the Eucharistic celebration we already unite ourselves with the heavenly liturgy and anticipate eternal life, when God will be all in all.In brief, the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith: “Our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking.”
Eucharist
Mass Times
Monday-Friday
7:00 a.m. & 12:10 p.m.
Saturday
8:00 a.m. & Vigil 4:00 p.m.
Sunday
7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 5:00 p.m.
First Holy Communion at St. Joseph
Preparation for First Communion and First Reconciliation take place during the 2nd grade. Preparation classes are held during the Sunday morning Elementary Faith Formation program or in religion classes at Saint Joseph Catholic School.
To learn more about our programs at Saint Joseph, visit our children’s faith formation page or Saint Joseph Catholic School website.
The Restored Order
In the Archdiocese of Denver, Archbishop Samuel Aquila has “restored the order” of the Sacraments of Initiation. This means they are received in their original order: Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion. Children’s preparation is normally two years: In 2nd grade, they learn about Reconciliation first semester, receive it in January, and then learn about Holy Communion second semester. In 3rd grade, they learn about Confirmation, review Communion, and receive both at the same mass in the second semester of 3rd grade.
To watch a video about the Restored Order and to read the Pastoral Letter “Saints Among Us” from Archbishop Aquila below.
