First Communion Gifts: A Rosary, Cross or Holy Picture with Meaning

What should you give for a First Communion when the gift is meant to be more than a kind greeting? On the day of First Holy Communion a child receives Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament for the first time. A toy is forgotten after a few years. A rosary in a coat pocket or a cross above the bed, by contrast, can stay with the child for a long time. This guide shows which gifts suit the occasion, what the Church teaches about the age of first communicants and whether a gift needs to be blessed.

What should you give for a First Communion?

For a First Communion it is best to give something that leads to prayer and to the Blessed Sacrament: a rosary, a rosary pouch, a cross for the child’s room or a holy picture. Gifts like these stay in use long after the feast day and grow with the child.

Which gift is right depends on who is giving it and what the child already owns. The overview below arranges the devotional articles from our range according to their use.

If you choose only one gift, a rosary is the right choice, because it is used and not merely put on display. Our rosaries with glass beads are intended for children and young people and are a popular First Communion gift.

What is First Holy Communion?

First Holy Communion is the day on which a baptised child receives the Blessed Sacrament for the first time: the true Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ under the appearance of bread. In German-speaking countries many parishes celebrate it on Low Sunday, the Sunday after Easter.

In Latin, Low Sunday is called dominica in albis; in German it is known as Weißer Sonntag (White Sunday). In the 1917 Code of Canon Law it normally closes the period of the Easter Communion. Every member of the faithful who has reached the age of discretion must receive Holy Communion once a year, at least at Easter (can. 859 § 1). This Easter Communion falls in the period from Palm Sunday to Low Sunday; the local Ordinary may bring it forward or extend it as far as Trinity Sunday (can. 859 § 2). Anyone who receives Holy Communion for the first time on Low Sunday therefore normally fulfils the Easter duty for that year at the same time.

The decree Quam singulari obliges the parish priest to arrange a general Communion of the children once or several times a year. It is to be preceded by a few days of instruction and preparation (no. V). The decree does not prescribe a fixed Sunday.

At what age does a child make First Communion?

A child makes First Communion as soon as it has reached the age of discretion. The 1910 decree Quam singulari places it circa septimum annum, at about the seventh year, sometimes earlier, sometimes later: when the child can distinguish the Blessed Sacrament from ordinary bread.

Pope Pius X approved the decree of the Congregation of the Sacraments in an audience on 7 August 1910; it is dated 8 August. Before then some regions had admitted children only at ten, twelve or fourteen years of age. The decree sees in the excessive insistence on extraordinary preparation a caution that stems from the errors of the Jansenists. They held the most holy Sacrament to be a reward, and not a remedy for human frailty.

According to the decree, the same age applies to Confession and to Communion (no. I). A full knowledge of the catechism is not required; the child is to learn the whole catechism gradually afterwards. It should understand the mysteries of faith necessary for salvation according to its capacity and approach with the devotion proper to its age (nos. II and III). Whether the child is ready is judged, following the Roman Catechism, by the father or whoever takes his place, together with the confessor (no. IV); under the 1917 Code, by the confessor and the parents or those who take their place (can. 854 § 4). The parish priest watches over this, if necessary by means of an examination (can. 854 § 5).

“But when children once begin to have some use of reason, so as to be able to conceive some devotion for this sacrament, then it can be given to them.”

St Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae III, q. 80, a. 9 ad 3, quoted in Quam singulari

Which rosary is suitable for a First Communion?

A rosary with light beads that sit comfortably in a child’s hand is suitable for a First Communion, for example 8 mm cut glass beads on a light-coloured cord. For children who spend a lot of time outdoors, a rosary or finger rosary made of paracord, a tear-resistant parachute cord, is a good fit.

The rosary is a string of prayer beads with five decades of ten Hail Mary beads each. On it one meditates on the fifteen mysteries in three sets: the Joyful, the Sorrowful and the Glorious. A decade is one Our Father, ten Hail Marys and one Glory Be. You will find all the prayers in full in our prayer companion for the Rosary.

A white rosary is especially fitting for the occasion. The Pope Pius X Rosary has beads of white agate on a gold cord and, as its centrepiece, the Pope who approved the decree on First Communion. If you are looking for something sturdy, you will find finger rosaries made of 550 paracord for the trouser pocket, or the Combat Rosaries with metal beads and ball chain.

A rosary is not a toy. It is not suitable for younger siblings under three years of age because of small parts that could be swallowed.

Which cross or picture is fitting for a First Communion?

A fitting gift for a First Communion is a cross that is given a permanent place in the child’s room, as a wall cross above the bed or as a standing cross on the desk. A holy picture that recalls the feast day is equally fitting, for example the Most Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance.

Our 35 cm wall cross has a wooden cross and a resin corpus painted by hand in colour. The Siena crosses are hand-carved from solid wood and available as a wall cross or a standing cross. You will find all models under Crosses.

The Catholic wall pictures are matt prints on photo card in A5 or A4, without a frame. Besides the monstrance, a fitting subject for a First Communion is Pope St Pius X, under whom Quam singulari was issued. If the child’s patron saint is among our pictures of saints, he or she is also a lovely subject. A picture above the bed reminds the child every evening of the day on which it received the Saviour for the first time.

Does a First Communion rosary have to be blessed?

A rosary or cross need not be blessed before it is given. It is customary to have the gift blessed by a priest before it is used. Under the 1917 Code of Canon Law any priest can give blessings, except those reserved to the Pope, to bishops or to others.

This is laid down in can. 1147 § 2. Blessing here means a blessing in the strict sense (benedictio), given with the formula of the Rituale Romanum. Such a blessing is valid only if the priest uses the formula prescribed by the Church (can. 1148 § 2). Ask the priest after Holy Mass, ideally before Low Sunday, so that the child has the blessed rosary on the feast day.

A blessed rosary is a sacramental. It has no power of its own. Through the sacramentals the Church obtains effects that are chiefly spiritual by virtue of her intercession (can. 1144). Whoever prays with the rosary is therefore asking God, and the intercession of the Church accompanies that prayer. Blessed objects are to be treated with reverence and not put to profane use, even when they are private property (can. 1150). This is a good opportunity to explain to the child why the rosary is not for playing with.

Mentioned in this article Rosary with peach cut glass beads Hand-knotted on a white cord, with 8 mm cut glass beads, the Miraculous Medal and a Pardon Crucifix. View the rosary Mentioned in this article Leather rosary pouch, light brown Made of cowhide with a zip, for standard rosaries with 6 to 8 mm beads. View the pouch

Frequently asked questions about First Communion gifts