Overspending on Communions

My communion back in the early 70's I ended up with £7.50.

I was allowed to buy a tee shirt and a pair of shorts.

Man I looked smashing.

My niece who made hers about 3 years ago got just under €1,000.
 
Ah my communion
Got a shirt and slacks in Dunnes.

And the day out was a trip to Supermacs
And then to the cinema.

What a day!
 
My mum made my dress and a little coat to go over it. After the church ceremony there was a party back in the school (buns, sweets and orange squash) and then we went off to visit all my relatives. I think we had a sausage and chip lunch in the restaurant above the Savoy cinema in O'Connell Street. The day finished up at my granny and grandads where we had our tea. I wore my communion dress to Mass the following day and then my mother dyed my white shoes tan so I could get some wear out of them .

Most of the girls in my class did something similar or else spent the afternoon at the Zoo. There were no bouncy castles, marquees, professional caterers, expensive restaurants, champagne, kids entertainers etc. And our mothers didn't spend the week beforehand getting fake tanned, highlighted and manicured.
 
Pique318 said:
Nah, yer sisters, do ya not remember ? You were the one puking up WKD just off camera
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Typical Pique you have managed to lower the tone yet again.

It was a great day though wasn't it just sorry you had to leave early because your shorts and waist-coat clashed with the brides outfit.
 
A friend told me about a communion she went to where one little girl had the hummer, the big, BIG dress and when the bread was popped into her mouth her headress lit up in lights "I have recieved".

A couple of years ago our parish priest toyed with the idea of introducing smocks for communion as he felt the expense was getting out of hand. A questionaire was sent out to the parents of the schools concerned and some of the replies we got back were shocking. Comments ranged from "I chose this school for my child so we could have this special day" to "I will remove my children from the school and the parish and put them somewhere that they can have a proper communion"

Needless to say, the smock idea was abandoned.
 
It's generally those who don't have the money go to the most expense (same as x-mas).

We would have been reasonably comfortable, but I had the same dress as my sisters, black shoes ("more practical than white ones") and a trip out for sausages & chips (and proceeded to get ketchup on the dress....lucky I was the last girl). The grand sum of £14 was given by my generous relatives.
 
My mam's aunt from England paid for my dress to be made, she insisted. A neighbour was a seamstress and she made it for me.

Afterwards, we all went back to the school, for tea and sandwiches.

Shannon, 1989!
 
Getting back to the spending, it appears now that it would cost up to €500+ to get a child through their First Communion.

I know a few people who have children receiving it, and their dresses were €250 each. Add to this the 3 or 4 trials at the hairdressers, then the hairdressers on the day, the obligatory party afterwards, the handbag, the shoes, the limo's etc (and thats not even counting the money Mum and Dad will spend on themselves).

I think it just goes to show that the sacrament is way down the list of importance now. Its more a day out to compete with the neighbours, and yet everyone you hear says that they are fed up with it costing so much and want to get back to the spiritual side of it.

They could of course make a stand and buy a very cheap dress and forget about the party (I don't remember a party at mine!!) or of course the Catholic Church could do everyone a favour and make it compulsory that the children receive the sacrament in their school uniforms. That would sort out all the silly foolishness.
 
RMCF said:
the Catholic Church could do everyone a favour and make it compulsory that the children receive the sacrament in their school uniforms. That would sort out all the silly foolishness.
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This is the most sensible option. AFAIR, it was obligatory that I wore my school uniform at my First Communion in '87, the girls did have the dress though. For Confirmation the glad rags were out alright.
 
Bubbly Scot said:
A friend told me about a communion she went to where one little girl had the hummer, the big, BIG dress and when the bread was popped into her mouth her headress lit up in lights "I have recieved".
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Sounds like one of those urban myths. How could you fit 'I have recieved' in lights on the head of a 7-year-old?

But anyway, it is any more or less bizarre than telling 7-year-olds to eat a magic piece of the body of a man who died 2000 years ago?
 
Complainer said:
Sounds like one of those urban myths. How could you fit 'I have recieved' in lights on the head of a 7-year-old?

But anyway, it is any more or less bizarre than telling 7-year-olds to eat a magic piece of the body of a man who died 2000 years ago?
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I wondered myself but then the lady who told me was apparently there. Either way, it's madness, I had to do crowd control at a communion one year and never...EVER again! Grannies were the worst!
 
Complainer said:
But anyway, it is any more or less bizarre than telling 7-year-olds to eat a magic piece of the body of a man who died 2000 years ago?
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Not really IMO.

BTW, part of the problem with communions/money is the language and turn of phrase associated with it:

I "made" €500 or so and so "made" €1000 - it just sounds really vulgar to me. I'm not having a go at the catholic church as such but I wasn't brought up RC and I "made" nothing at my communion. Zero pence. I didn't really expect anything either. I wore my school uniform by the way as did all my contemporaries.
 
Bubbly Scot said:
I wondered myself but then the lady who told me was apparently there. Either way, it's madness, I had to do crowd control at a communion one year and never...EVER again! Grannies were the worst!
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Was in in patrickswell Limerick? That's where I heard it happened.
 

If you weren't brought up as a Catholic, how could you have made your first Holy Communion?
 
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