Carole Garibaldi Rogers

Using both personal reminiscence and excerpts from several oral histories, this article suggests that Roman Catholics take a collective deep breath and revisit their personal stories about first Communion to treasure them and perhaps draw wisdom, patience and love from them. Such a pause could help Catholic laity, clergy and hierarchy avoid making Eucharist a battleground.

"My mother kept no important documents and cut photos out of albums. But she kept the prayer book,the holy card and her portrait. Whatever else happened in my mother's early life, her first Communion day was clearly a significant event for her and her adoptive family."

America, May 10, 2004