PREPARATION IN THE PARISH SCHOOLS OF CHIL DREN FOR FIRST HOLY COMMUNION REV. THOMAS DEVLIN, RECTOR OF HOLY CROSS CHURCH, The eighth day of August, 1910, should be ever memorable in the history of the Church of our time. On that day on which the pontifical declaration concerning the age at which children should be admitted to first Holy Communion was issued, it may be said that the restoration of all things in Christ, the aim and purpose of our Holy Father, Pius X., was actually begun. With the publication of the decree Quam Singulari, a new era dawned upon the world, and the spirit of the apostolic days and of the ages of faith, began to manifest itself in a new age of love. For four hundred years clouds of error had darkened the minds of those who, under the spell of false teaching, had wandered from the true fold, and the shadows of these heresies had fallen even on the children of the Church. Multitudes had abandoned the Eucharistic Lord, the source of all life. Men sought in ever widening fields of human science and material development, to satisfy the yearning of their souls, but they sought in vain. Knowledge such as they prized and pursued, failed to bring happiness. Their aspirations for the higher things were never realized. On the other hand, material progress served to contribute to moral and social decay, rather than to the uplift of humanity. For this seemingly hopeless condition of society, the Pontiff Restorer, guided by divine light, has provided a remedy. On the twentieth of December, 1905, the Holy Father published a decree concerning the daily reception of the Holy Eucharist, in which all the faithful, of whatever rank and condition, are most earnestly exhorted to frequent and daily Com munion as most comformable to the wishes of Christ, our Lord, and of the Catholic Church, so that no one can licitly be excluded from it who is in the state of grace and approaches to the Holy Table with a truly pious intention. On August eighth, 1910, the venerable Vicar of Christ, approved and ordered the promulgation of the decree Quam Singulari, in which regulations are made concerning the age at which children are to be admitted to Holy Communion, and other prescriptions pertaining to their reception of this sacrament, are set forth. The change in the discipline, or we should say, the return to the ancient discipline of the Church, brought about by these enactments of Pius X., is of great significance to all, and especially to those in charge of Catholic schools. While as stated in the decree, parents are primarily responsible for the preparation of their children for the reception of the Holy Sacrament, and confessors share with them this obligation, teachers and pastors also have a great duty in the matter. Manifestly this duty is one of cooperation. Under certain circumstances it may become a primary obligation. As a matter of fact, at the present time, until fathers and mothers are accustomed to the new order, it may very often be found necessary for teachers and pastors to take the first steps in the immediate preparation of children for first Holy Communion. In attempting this, difficulties which cannot easily be overcome, will be encountered. The influence of established usage, especially in the matter of religious observances, the apathy, neglect and even prejudice of parents, cannot readily be set aside. Such obstacles, however, will not deter the teacher or priest who is truly in accord with the spirit of the Church in his endeavor to bring the little ones of Christ to the table of the altar. The dignity of the work, its attractiveness, its necessity, are incentives, which should make all difficulties, even the gravest, appear trivial. When we reflect that from the first centuries of the Church, down through the ages to our own day, the same inspiration, the same devotion, the same loving care, have actuated those engaged in the religious education of the young, and that the greatest men, the most illustrious scholars, the most eminent saints, have ever regarded the teach ing of little children as an apostolic obligation, who will permit himself to be discouraged in the exercise of this seemingly humble, but truly exalted, in this frequently trying, but always consoling duty? From St. Augustine, who in the first years of his episcopate, composed his beautiful book, De Catechizandis Rudibus, for the use of a deacon of Carthage, from Origen and the celebrated Catecheses of Alexandria, to St. Charles Borromeo, de La Salle and St. Vincent de Paul, from St. Charles to Fenelon, Dupanloup and more recent brilliant and devoted catechists down to our day, the noblest men and women and the most renowned ecclesiastics have esteemed themselves honored in being privileged to instruct the young in the principles of religion and form their souls in the practice of virtue. Gerson, the Chancellor of the University of Paris, the learned and pious Bellarmine, St. Ignatius, St. Francis Xavier, St. Francis de Sales, St. Alphonsus, and tens of thousands of zealous men and women in the religious orders of the Church, with tender devotion, have lavished the charity of Jesus in their hearts upon the little ones whom He loved and have gloried in being teachers of children. Examples such as these, make known to us the exalted dignity of the work and show us the motives which have influenced these apostles of youth. They reveal the aim and purpose of the true teacher, and give us to understand that no unreasoning fancy, no mere human feeling, no sympathy for the charms of childhood, but the desire to build up the Kingdom of Christ in the souls of men has inspired their devotion, prompted their labors, and enabled them to conquer all difficulties. In the actual preparation in school of children for first Holy Communion, four important things are to be considered. These are the teacher, the child, the instruction and the method employed. The teacher is a very essential factor in the work of preparation. Not every one is fitted to instruct little children. Such an one must be endowed with qualities specially adapted for the difficult but most important office. It must be understood that the teacher who undertakes to enlighten the mind and form the conscience, the will and the character of the child, by directing its actions, has a sacred duty to perform, that he is invested with an august authority and next to the ministry of divine worship, is engaged in the noblest of occupations. A teacher of any science who is satisfied with merely imparting knowledge, is not regarded as having fulfilled his whole duty. The real teacher so instructs that the seed he has planted will take root and produce fruit, that the intellectual and spiritual food he has provided, will be assimilated, that it will enter into the mind, the heart, the soul of his pupil, vitalize the energies of that pupil, and manifest itself in his conduct. The good teacher endeavors to know the child. He seeks to penetrate its very being, to awaken its interest, hold its attention and win its affection, and this, if possible, through his own personality. If by nature he is deficient in those gifts which attract the hearts of children, he must by constantly keeping before his thoughts, the great aim and purpose of his calling, by self-study and prayer, endeavor to acquire the qualities and the manner which will fit him for the proper exercise of his duty. Nothing will contribute more to the attainment of the characteristics and personality necessary for success in his education of souls than the study of the lives of the great teachers whose names have been mentioned and the humble imitation of Him who is the greatest of all teachers. A good Christian mother is always a good teacher, because she loves her children and her children love her. The celebrated men to whom reference has been made were great teachers, because they were men of great heart, as well as of great mind. They loved God and they loved men, and they were beloved of God and men. For this reason, their names are held in benediction, and their fame is immortal. Need we say why Jesus is the greatest of all teachers? Is it not because of His love? The sweet look of His eyes, the smile on His lips, the loving words which came from His Sacred Heart had an inexpressible charm for all, and especially for the children who followed Him everywhere. The happiness of seeing Him, of hearing Him, of being with Him, made them forget all things, even hunger, in their desire to be near Him. They were with Him on the highways and in the villages, in the city and in the country. They pressed on the outskirts of the crowds that hid Him from view, and were importunate in their struggles to draw near to His side, and when the well-meaning disciples would drive them away, the gentle Savior said, "Suffer the little children to come. unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." From what has been stated, it is evident that a cold presentation of truths, however intelligently and attractively made, will be without result in influencing action and conduct, if the heart has no place in the instruction. In order that truth may take root in the soul and grow and produce fruit, it must be watered with love. Love must go out from the heart of the teacher, it must enter the heart of the child. In every relation of the teacher with the pupil, in the order of nature and in the order of grace, love must be the bond which unites them; especially when the child is being prepared for first Holy Communion, the Sacrament of Love and the memorial of the greatest love, must love manifest itself in every phase and feature of the instruction. It must permeate the atmosphere of the classroom and become the very life of all therein. It must radiate in every look, give a tone of sweetness to every word, and crystallize about every act of him who would lead the hearts of loving children. to the God of love. It is not without authority of the highest rank that we have emphasized the personality of the teacher and laid special stress upon the feeling which should exist between him and his charge. St. Augustine says, "Ama et fac quod vis," "Love, and you may do as you please." Love is the one thing essential. It will accomplish everything. Love will find a way. "Da amantem," says the same great doctor, "et sentit quod dico," "Give me one who loves, and he will understand what I say." "Unctio docet omnia," "Love teaches everything." From this seemingly exaggerated prominence assigned to the personal equation between the teacher and his pupil, some may think we deem scholarship and professional training of little importance. The truth is we do not intend to underestimate the need of possessing a clear, distinct, adequate and in some respects exhaustive knowledge of the subject matter. To this must be added an acquaintance with the individual child's nature, temper |