First Holy Communion is the common name for a person's first reception of the Body and Blood of Christ. Roman Catholics recognize the importance of this event as the Eucharist is the central focus of the sacramental life of the Catholic Church. Roman Catholics recognize the importance of this event because the Eucharist is the central focus of the sacramental life of the Catholic Church.  A child, baptized as an infant into the family of God, now takes a place at the Lord’s table. This sacrament is the second of the Sacraments of Initiation and is a momentous event for the child, the family, and the parish community as a whole. 

As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us "The sacraments of Christian initiation — Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist – lay the foundations of every Christian life. The sharing in the divine nature given to men through the grace of Christ bears a certain likeness to the origin, development, and nourishing of natural life. The faithful are born anew by Baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation, and receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal life. By means of these sacraments of Christian initiation, they thus receive in increasing measure the treasures of the divine life and advance toward the perfection of charity." Catechism of the Catholic Church #1212.