“Eucharist” refers both to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper (known as Holy Mass), as well as the Body and Blood of Christ hidden beneath the likeness of bread and wine. It is the greatest of all Sacraments, as the Catechism explains:

The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.”[1] “The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.

Catholics believe in the Real Presence. That is to say, Jesus Christ is “present in a true, real, and substantial manner: his Body and his Blood, with his soul and his divinity (CCC 1413).” When we compare the Man who walked the earth some 2,000 years ago with the consecrated Bread and Wine, the only difference is appearance — all the same, it is Jesus Christ our Lord.

By his power over all creation and according to his boundless love, bread and wine at Holy Mass are transformed into the Most Precious Body and Blood of Christ, which we consume during Holy Communion. In this moment, Christ and his beloved become one in flesh and spirit. Such is the intimacy that Christ desires with each one of us! In this union with Christ, we also have communion with all our brothers and sisters spread throughout the world (CCC 1398).

We celebrate the Holy Mass daily, but Catholics are obliged only to attend Mass on Sundays and a few other days of obligation. For this is how Mother Church wants us to observe the Lord’s Day — by gathering around his Table as one family.

Want to receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist (Holy Communion)?

•   You have been baptised or received into the Catholic Church.
•   Children should have made their First Holy Communion.
•   You have fasted for one hour beforehand. (Water and medicine do not break your fast.)
•   You are not in an irregular marital situation, eg. civilly married without Church endorsement.