Preparations for First Holy Communion in the Family

It is now 3 weeks to go to the Big day! Preparations are all around! Everything is more or less ready, but as always I feel a bit overwhelmed by the many things which everyday life throws at us! A big family party this Sunday at my sister-in-law's, Mattia's Confirmation next week, a lunch to cook next week for 15 Priests after their Deanery meeting (which I agreed to do months ago) and other things on the calendar I am not going to bore you with!

As the day approaches I thought it would be a good idea to check everything, or that at least most things are in place.

1. Phoned the florist to check she has the date and location of the Church right.

 Lucia's first Holy Communion will fall on 'Corpus Christi' so one more reason to make sure the Church is looking at its best! I want to make sure the entire parish can feel and share this double feast and fully enjoy it with us! Check.


2. Go over the guest list and write invitations.

 The date had already been given to friends and family long time ago, but now it is time to make it official! Invitations done and ready to be given out! Check.





3. Phone Restaurant to discuss Menu and last few things.

This time we decided to go for an English Menu... there is nothing like a good English roast! The Tudor Barn has a connection with St Thomas More as it was built by his son in law who married his beloved daughter Margaret! 
We looked for months for the perfect place with no results....till we came across this lovely Tudor Barn...After reading about the history we had no doubt this was it... there was no better place to celebrate Lucia's introduction to the Great Sacrament ... the connection with such a great English martyr who gave up his life for Christ made our decision easy and we booked in no time. Check.





4. Check Lucia's first Holy Communion Dress.

The dress needs a little bit of ironing but it fits nicely on Lucia. She will be wearing the same dress Elena wore, but because Lucia is slightly shorter than her sister I bought an under skirt to raise it from the floor as making a hem would ruin the decor of the dress.

She will be wearing a lovely veil as sign to total submission and obedience to God and reverence before Christ!

Her new shoes arrived not long ago and they are just adorable! 




5. Check outfits for the rest of the family.

Spring is all about colours! Scouting the internet I manage to find some very good deals for both my girls! Finding clothes for Elena (11 years old), becomes more and more of a challenge as what is available tends to be too grown up for my tastes, at the same time I can't ignore and I have to accept that she is growing up and she will soon become a young lady... hopefully the transition won't be too painful!

As for Virginia, finding clothes for her is not a problem! I can't wait to see her all dressed up for the occasion! I have decide to go for a 'Spanish' style for her as she looks cuter than she already is in that type of dress. 

The boys have already their suits and will be going around with dad to buy, maybe a new shirt or a tie. Same goes for Pierpaolo.

I still don't have a dress and I am not quite sure what I am going to wear... I have been postponing and postponing and I now realise it might be time for me to get going! Being pregnant the options are very limited, but I am sure I will come up with something decent!

Dressing with dignity and appropriately for the occasion is very important. What we wear and how we dress says a lot about ourselves and to show the weight of such a special day being extra smart is necessary and a sign of respect and great understanding for what Lucia is going to receive: the greatest gift of all, the body and blood of Christ. 

6. Plan the Music for the reception and make sure we have the equipment needed.

This is the men's territory... and they'll have a lot of fun getting ready, we're thinking of preparing some songs with a Lucy-connection, any suggestions?

7.  Assemble 'Bomboniere' little favours for your guests.

Being Italian, every big celebration (especially a sacrament) is accompanied by little packages of sugar coated almonds (we call them confetti)... I don't particularly like them, in fact I don't really know whether anyone does really appreciates them, but hey! TRADITION... TRADITION!

As an additional 'favour', Lucia chose these lovely hand made flower badges that she will take around to guests during the reception asking people to remember her in their prayers!

I was supposed to hand paint the prayer card that will go with it, but so far I haven't had the time to do it... there is always a plan B and many nights in 3 weeks... once again we will see what I can come up with!

Lucia is definitely ready for it and we are all looking forward to her special moment! The excitement is growing in the family and the preparation will carry on till the last minute! Panic will strike many times, but as always God will be before us and everything will be perfect according to His plan.

Please keep us always in your prayers!