Figure 1.-- Here we see the children at the Schhool of the Cathedral Mary our Queen are seen here in 1940 for First Communiom. The boys wear dark Eton suits. The girls mostly wear white dresses, but not as fancy as the minature wedding dresses we have seen some children wear. Notice that they are not weasring veils.

First Communion is a major milestone in the life of a Catholic child. It is also an important even at any Catholic school. Catholic schools prepared the children to do their First Communion as a class group. Generally it was the Second Grade class that did First Communion. The suits and dresses of the children varied over time. We are not sure what the children wore in the early 20th century, but we do have images available from the mid-20th century. Portraits are only available from the 1940s. Boys were wearing dark short pants suits with Eton collars in the early 40s. They began wearing white short pants suits in 1947. They were wearing white long pants suits in 1962.

First Communion

First Communion is a major milestone in the life of a Catholic child. Christian churches vary considerably in the practice of First Communion. Some churches like the Catholic Church make it a major event in a child's life and organize it at Catholic schools. The grade level has varied over time and between countries. Other churches, even traditionally oriented churches, do not practice a formal "First Communion" for children. They believe the Bible teaches that communion is anexpression of personal decision of faith rather than of reaching a certain age. Their children's and youth minitries teach young people about Christ, how to have a relationship with him and about the meaning of communion, but it is the responsiblityof the family to determine when a child is ready to take communion appropriately. Many parents use the Easter holiday as a time to introduce their children to communion

Catholic Schools

It is also an important even at any Catholic school. Catholic schools prepared the children to do their First Communion as a class group. Generally it was the Second Grade class that did First Communion. I'm less sure how First Communion was done for children attending public schools.

First Communion Outfits

The suits and dresses of the children varied over time. We are not sure what the children wore in the early 20th century, but we do have images available from the mid-20th century. Portraits are only available from the 1940s. Boys were wearing dark short pants suits with Eton collars in the early 40s. I'm not sure if the boys are wearing Eton suits, but they look like the suits without lapels that were popular for younger boys. They clearly are wearing Eton collars. Some of these suits by the 1940s were also worn with Peter Pan collasrs. They began wearing white short pants suits in 1947. They were wearing white long pants suits in 1962. The girls mostly wear white dresses, but not as fancy as the minatire wedding dresses we have seen some children wear.Available images show how First Communion outfits at the school varied overtime.

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Created: 9:16 PM 7/24/2005
Last updated: 9:16 PM 7/24/2005