Do This In Memory of Me: American Catholicism and First Communion Customs in the Era of "Quam Singulari"
On August 8, 1910, Pius X became the first pope in over five hundred years to significantly change the Catholic Church's procedural rules concerning First Communion. His revolutionary encyclical Quam Singulari stated that children of six or seven years of age could potentially be admitted to Co...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
American Catholic Historical Society
2004
|
| In: |
American catholic studies
Year: 2004, Volume: 115, Issue: 2, Pages: 45-66 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | On August 8, 1910, Pius X became the first pope in over five hundred years to significantly change the Catholic Church's procedural rules concerning First Communion. His revolutionary encyclical Quam Singulari stated that children of six or seven years of age could potentially be admitted to Communion; prior to Quam Singulari, children were required to wait until their early teens to receive the Eucharist. Although some of the alterations to the First Communion celebration that Quam Singulari promulgated received lukewarm receptions in various American parishes, most Catholics readily accepted the notion that children's plastic minds were capable of reason and that second graders could understand the gravity of First Communion. In the wake of Quam Singulari, new catechisms and pedagogical tools were adopted by the church. American Catholics devised innovative lesson plans and picture books that were particularly designed for young children who were learning about the Eucharist at a basic level. Not all changes to the First Communion celebration were embraced, though. Many parents and priests insisted that children were too caught up in the material aspects of their First Communions and that many parents frequently reinforced the view that First Communion was more about dainty white dresses than a spiritual union with the Lord. The evidence suggests, however, that children were able to reconcile the materialism, sentimentalism and spirituality that punctuated First Communion celebrations. By examining periodicals, catechism manuals and other ephemera, one can appreciate the extent to which young American Catholics forged an alliance between spiritual beliefs, ritualism and material culture. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2161-8534 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: American catholic studies
|