Saint George communicants come from around the world

Courtesy photo/St. George Parish

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The Saint George Parish First Communion is shown after the Mass on May 12 with Father Martin Picos, pastor.

By Carole Drake

Special to the Intermountain Catholic

ST. GEORGE — First Holy Communion classes are special and the 20 students in this year’s class at Saint George Catholic Church were no exception. One child was baptized in the cathedral of Salzburg, Austria and another was baptized in Italy, while a set of twins was baptized in the Philippines.

The class also had three sets of siblings, with the children in different grades. Yet another communicant is handicapped. He received his First Holy Communion with some assistance from his mother, returned to his pew, looked at her, put his hand straight up in the air, and exclaimed, "YES!"

The influence the faithful can have on others also was reflected in the class. Two of the communicants, a brother and sister, witnessed their father’s baptism two years ago at the Easter Vigil. His experience moved them so much that they, too, wanted to become part of the Catholic community, and so asked to enroll in the First Communion class.

Another example was ninth-grade communicant Justice Alo, who told no one at the church that he was making a sacrifice to attend the First Communion class: He skipped his middle school football practice each Monday for those 12 weeks. His coach, who is of a different faith, was so impressed with Justice’s commitment and sacrifice that he attended the First Holy Communion Mass.

Carole Drake is a Saint George parishioner.