Key Takeaways
The phrase, distilled. A child’s First Holy Communion is often voiced in a tender line: “I invite you to accompany me to receive Jesus in my heart,” a sentence that joins sacrament, interior faith, and shared celebration.
Place and community. The celebration described here is rooted in Bahía Blanca, Argentina, at the Chapel of Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria at Nicaragua 2950, with post-liturgy gatherings linked to the workers’ associations of the National University of the South.
History behind the name. Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria—born in Cremona in 1502 and died on 5 July 1539—founded the Barnabites and inspired Eucharistic devotion that still animates parish life today.
Form follows meaning. Invitations can be child-friendly, warmly informal, or formally liturgical; each keeps the same theological heart while tailoring tone and layout to family and parish needs.
Story & Details
The Heart of the Sentence
“I invite you to accompany me to receive Jesus in my heart.” The first clause makes room for loved ones: Communion is lived with others. “To receive Jesus” points to the Eucharist—bread and wine consecrated in the Catholic liturgy. “In my heart” names the inner response: trust, welcome, and a desire to be changed. Short words, deep meaning. It’s clear. It works.
A Parish That Grounds the Moment
Ritual needs a home. In Bahía Blanca’s Avellaneda neighborhood, municipal notices place the Chapel of Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria at Nicaragua 2950, a hub where worship and civic life sometimes meet—recycling drives one week, catechesis and Mass the next. The address is public, the presence tangible, the doors familiar to neighbors who know when bells will ring.
After Mass, the Social Thread
Celebrations often continue beyond the chapel’s walls. In Bahía Blanca, the university community’s organizations—such as the Association of Workers of the National University of the South—maintain recreational spaces and communal projects. Local reporting over the years has highlighted a workers’ recreational complex, the kind of place where families gather, share a meal, and let the milestone breathe.
The Saint Behind the Sign
Names matter. Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria was born in Cremona in 1502 and died on 5 July 1539. He founded the Clerics Regular of Saint Paul, commonly called the Barnabites, and promoted renewal through preaching, catechesis, and concrete Eucharistic devotion. His liturgical memorial on 5 July turns parish calendars toward a life that joined study, service, and reform.
Writing the Invitation
Families adapt tone to audience. A child-voiced card keeps the line simple and bright. A formal church print adds reverent cadence and the full place-line for clarity. A complete version folds in name, date, hour, chapel address, and the communal venue afterward. Layout can be vertical or horizontal; imagery can be a simple cross, chalice, or clean typography. Whatever the style, the phrase remains the anchor.
Conclusions
Meaning Made Visible
A First Communion invitation is more than logistics. It is a small catechesis—Christ truly given, a heart freely opened, a community drawn together. Naming the chapel and the saint roots the day in place and tradition; choosing the right tone turns paper into memory. Keep the sentence at the center and let the rest serve it with clarity and grace.
Sources
- Municipal notice confirming chapel location and activity at the Chapel of Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria, Avellaneda neighborhood, Bahía Blanca (includes address Nicaragua 2950). https://www.bahia.gob.ar/2017/09/08/jornada-de-ecocanje-en-barrio-avellaneda/
- Follow-up municipal archive index for the same date. https://www.bahia.gob.ar/2017/09/08/
- Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria—biography and dates (1502; died 5 July 1539). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Zaccaria
- Barnabites (Clerics Regular of Saint Paul)—order background. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnabites
- Barnabite Fathers (North American Province)—order overview and history. https://www.barnabites.com/
- University of the South (UNS) official site—context for the local university community. https://www.uns.edu.ar/
- UNS quality report (2023) listing ATUNS, the workers’ association. https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sites/default/files/direccion_general_de_gestion_academica_-universidad_nacional_del_sur-_informe_de_calidad_2023.pdf
- Local newspaper feature on the ATUNS recreational complex. https://www.lanueva.com/nota/2005-3-6-9-0-0-atuns-y-su-predio
- YouTube (institutional): United States Conference of Catholic Bishops—“The Sacrament of Holy Eucharist.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10RVv4vGan8
Appendix
First Holy Communion. The first reception of the Eucharist by a baptized Catholic child; typically prepared through catechesis and marked by a family-parish celebration.
Eucharist. The sacrament in which bread and wine, consecrated during Mass, are received as the Body and Blood of Christ; the heart of Catholic worship.
Chapel of Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria. A public house of worship in Bahía Blanca’s Avellaneda neighborhood; municipal notices place it at Nicaragua 2950 and reference parish activities hosted there.
Barnabites (Clerics Regular of Saint Paul). A Catholic order founded by Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria in the sixteenth century, focused on reform, preaching, education, and Eucharistic devotion.
ATUNS and university community. The Association of Workers of the National University of the South, a recognized union within UNS life; public documents and reporting note its role and facilities for community recreation.
The invitation phrase. A compact way to say that Communion is both sacramental and communal: Christ received, heart opened, loved ones present.
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 