A First Holy Communion gift your child will keep, and read

In Ireland, First Holy Communion is usually in second class, when children are seven or eight, and it takes place in spring, often on a Saturday in May; the parish sets the date.¹ The same is true for Catholic families in Northern Ireland: the Catholic Church in Ireland is one church for the whole island, and 42.3% of people in Northern Ireland identified as Catholic in the 2021 census.²

The traditional gifts are meant to be kept: a rosary, a prayer book, a necklace with a cross, a framed photo of the day. Alongside them, families increasingly look for gifts that are less traditional. A book in which the child is the hero is both: personal, lasting, and a reminder of the date.

Unlike a christening, the child is old enough to live the day and to read what they're given. A hardcover, 21.6 × 28 cm, can be given on its own or alongside another gift. If you're a godparent, see our page on godparent gifts.

Religious or not, it's your choice. Many families celebrate First Holy Communion as a family day as much as a sacrament. The story follows your idea: it can speak of faith, of a prayer, of the parish church, or be an adventure with everyone who came for the child. What you describe appears in the story; what you don't, doesn't.

In practice, you read the whole story for free before you decide. The eBook is ready about half an hour after you buy. The hardcover is delivered to 214 countries and territories, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States and Canada; in Europe and North America it arrives in up to 13 working days after you approve the finished book. For a date in May, allow some time.

Three story ideas

• The child gets ready for the big day with the others in their class, and discovers over the weeks what each of them brings to it.
• On the morning of the Communion, something passed down in the family, a medal or a rosary, tells the child the stories of those who had it before.
• An adventure in which the child makes an important choice alone for the first time, and finds they can, surrounded by the people who matter.

Still looking for what to write in the card? 36 messages for a First Holy Communion, sorted by occasion and tone, free to use.

See also Christening, Godparent gift, Letter from Santa. And to read on, all illustration styles and frequently asked questions.

1. 1.Catholic Ireland: First Communion or Confirmation first?What it confirms: First Holy Communion usually in second class, at seven or eight, in spring, often on a Saturday in May, with the date set by the parish; one church province for the whole island of Ireland.
2. 2.Wikipedia: Catholic Church in Ireland.What it confirms: The Catholic Church in Ireland is organised as one church for the whole island; 42.3% of people in Northern Ireland identified as Roman Catholic in the 2021 census.