The Sacrament of Holy Communion is the third of the Sacraments of Initiation. Even though we are required to receive Communion at least once per year (our Easter Duty), and the Church urges us to receive Communion frequently (even daily, if possible), it is called a sacrament of initiation because, like Baptism and Confirmation, it brings us into the fullness of our life in Christ. As Roman Catholics, in Holy Communion, we are eating the True Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, without which "you shall not have life in you" (John 6:53).

Because of the intimate connection of the Sacrament of Holy Communion to our life in Christ, we must be free of any major sin before receiving it, as St. Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29. Otherwise, as he warns, we receive the sacrament unworthily, and we "eat and drink our own damnation". If we are aware of having committed a mortal sin, we must participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation first. The Church sees the two sacraments as connected, and urges us, when we can, to join frequent Reconciliation with frequent Communion.

If we cannot receive Holy Communion physically, either because we cannot make it to Mass or because we need to go to Confession first, we can pray an Act of Spiritual Communion, in which we express our desire to be united with Christ and ask Him to come into our soul. A spiritual communion is not sacramental, but prayed devoutly, it can be a source of grace that can strengthen us until we can receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion once again.

Receiving Holy Communion brings us graces that affect us both spiritually and physically. Spiritually, our souls become more united to Christ, both through the graces we receive and through the change in our actions that those graces effect. Frequent Reconciliation increases our love for God and for our neighbour, which expresses itself in action, which makes us more like Christ. By receiving Christ's Body and Blood, our own bodies are sanctified, and we grow in our likeness to Christ.

At St. John Bosco First Holy Communion is celebrated around Corpus Christi.  Preparation begins early in the academic year and is open to all who have entered Year 3. Sometimes parents prefer to wait until their child is a little older.  Preparation for Reconciliation (Confession) is incorporated into the First Holy Communion programme.