On May 8, 1884 St. Therese of Lisieux received her First Holy Communion at the Benedictine Abbey of Notre Dame du Pre. Reflecting upon the experience later, the Little Flower wrote:

Ah! how sweet was that first kiss of Jesus! It was a kiss of love; I felt that I was loved, and I said: “I love You, and I give myself to You forever!”

St. Therese received the sacrament at Mass offered in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. That same liturgy celebrated today is known as the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. As availability to the Traditional Latin Mass continues to increase in the coming years, more Catholic children will once again be able to make their First Holy Communion just as the great saint of Lisieux did.

The below photos were taken this past Sunday at St. Ann Catholic Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Please pray for these young children. May they echo the words of the Little Flower and tell Our Lord, “I love You, and I give myself to You forever!”

Photo Credit: John Cosmas