Eucharist

The community of the Church, the people of God who work together in a parish to build God’s kingdom, come together to celebrate the Eucharist. The great message that Jesus gives us in the Eucharist is a message of love. If we listen to the message of Jesus, we must try to live lives of love and service. At Mass, we offer ourselves, with the Risen Jesus to God our Father in heaven. We share in the Bread of Life. We know that the Risen Jesus is with us and is helping us to build up the Kingdom of God’s love. At Mass, the Risen Jesus comes to us to nourish us, to strengthen us, to help us to grow in God’s love and to help us to grow in love for others.

Many years ago, theologians debated the meaning of the real presence of Christ in the eucharistic bread and wine. During this period, there was great emphasis put on the consecration within the Mass. The theological term “transubstantiation” was introduced, to indicate that the bread and wine really turned into Jesus’ risen body and blood. The Second Vatican Council which took place in the 1960s enabled people to take part more fully in the Eucharist. It very much emphasised the value of communal worship. It stressed the importance of worshipping God as a community, united in a common bond of togetherness.

Eucharist means thanksgiving. Another popular term for the Eucharist is “Mass”, which emphasises our commission to live a Christ-like life. Our Eucharist is based on the Last Supper, a Passover Meal in which Jesus invested new meaning. He created a new covenant in his blood and gave his own life under the forms of bread and wine. The theology of the Eucharist stresses that the Eucharist shows God’s love for us, it re-enacts Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, it creates and celebrates our unity as Christians, it reminds us of God’s covenant of love and our responsibility to love and serve others and it is the summit of Christian worship.

The Eucharist is made up of two parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. In the Liturgy of the Word, we listen to God’s Word from Scripture. From it, we get something to think about and we are challenged to respond to it.

The celebration of the Eucharist takes place each day in our Parish and you can find the Mass times on the menu bar above.

Primary Four pupils are prepared each year for their First Holy Communion through the ‘Do This in Memory Programme’. Do This in Memory is a parish based programme of preparation for First Communion centred in the parish celebration of the Sunday Eucharist and in the family home. The programme resources are designed to facilitate parents, families and the parishes’ active involvement in the preparation for the sacrament. It complements and supports the work of sacramental preparation in the parish school or the religious education programme in the parish. The programme takes place once a month for eight months before First Eucharist and concludes during the parish celebration of the Feast of Corpus Christi.

The Do This in Memory Programme will take place in St. Patrick’s Cathedral at 6:30pm on the First Saturday of each month. Please see Parish Bulletin for further details.

First Holy Communion Dates 2025

3rd May           Christian Brother’s PS Bunsoil @ 11am in St Malachy’s

                            Christian Brother’s PS @ 1pm in St Malachy’s Church

10th May          St Patrick’s PS @ 11am in St Patrick’s Cathedral

                            St Malachy’s PS @ 11am in St Malachy’s Church

17th May          Our Lady’s PS @ 11am in Church of the Immaculate Conception

31st May          Saints & Scholars PS @ 11am in St Malachy’s Church

                           Mt. St. Catherine’s PS @ 1pm in St Patrick’s Cathedral