A timeless photo captures the joy of first Communion for a teacher and her students
Taken 40 years ago, a photo captures Jen Inglish Wetherell on the day of her first Communion, joined in the photo by her siblings, David Inglish, left, Megan Inglish and Robert Inglish. (Submitted photo)
(The Criterion has invited readers, teachers, children and catechetical leaders to share their thoughts and stories relating to the first Communion of girls and boys in our parishes. Here is the first story in this series.)
By John Shaughnessy
The photo captures the joy of a child on the day of her first holy Communion.
Wearing a white dress and a veil, both made with the love and the artistry of her mother, the second-grade child named Jen beams as she is surrounded by her two brothers and her sister.
Forty years have passed since that photo was taken, but that moment still means so much to Jen Wetherell that she features it year-round in the second-grade classroom where she teaches at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School in Richmond.
A child-like joy even fills Wetherell’s voice as she shares the first of the two reasons she wants her students to be able to see that photo every day.
“It helps my students see I’m not this unattainable person, this adult teacher, that I was once a child who was in their position,” she says. “They’re like, ‘Oooooh!’ They enjoy seeing me that way.”
A combination of awe and reverence marks her words as she mentions the second reason she features the photo—it shows her students her joy in receiving the Eucharist for the first time.
“Oh, my goodness yes, I still remember it!” she says. “There was such joy instilled in me—that this was a gift. Just such a special day to receive Jesus. He is in me. This was something so exciting for me.”
So was seeing her students receive holy Communion during a special Mass on Mother’s Day, May 12, at St. Mary Church of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish.
“It is absolute joy—and a little selfish pleasure. It makes me feel so good,” says Wetherell, a mother of five. “I am being a disciple of Christ. I have given this love to these children. And I’m also receiving that love and joy. It brings me back to my first holy Communion, and it brings me back to when my children received their first holy Communion. It’s just joy and love.”
Some of the second-grade children who received the Eucharist for the first time on Mother’s Day shared their joy in a sweet way.
“It felt good, and I can’t wait to receive him again!” Grace Hunter said.
Classmate Leah Evans noted, “Now that I have Jesus in me, I feel like a kinder person.”
Wetherell strives to make the joy, love and specialness of the occasion extend beyond that one day. She wants them to carry that moment in their hearts for a lifetime.
‘Showing them how to be Jesus to one another’
“This isn’t just for one moment. This isn’t just about second grade. This is a lifelong journey,” she says. “I’ve always viewed the Eucharist as one of the greatest gifts we can receive. We want them to walk hand in hand with Christ, to be filled with God for a lifetime.”
Toward that goal, Wetherell begins their preparation for the sacrament at the start of the school year, focusing on helping them see that Mass is a celebration of the Eucharist. She has even created an interactive Mass book that explains the parts of the Mass and their importance.
“Really understanding the Mass, so that by the end of second grade we’re mentally and spiritually prepared for this gift that we’re receiving,” she says.
Wetherell also shares Bible passages, daily devotionals and stories of eucharistic miracles, including those documented by Blessed Carlo Acutis, a youth who embraced the Eucharist at the heart of his life before he died at 15 of leukemia. Pope Francis will canonize him a saint in the near future.
“All day long, I try to make our love of God and Jesus Christ the focus. Even in math, I pull things out of the Bible,” Wetherell says. “When there are frustrations, I ask, ‘How would Jesus handle this? What do you think Jesus wants us to do with this?’ Just making God the center of my classroom—and in my actions, too.”
She also works closely with Vicky Roosa, the parish’s catechetical leader, and Camela Schmitz, a catechist, praising them for the first Communion preparation of the parish’s children who don’t attend the parish school. Together, they lead sessions for the families of all the children, making the families part of the preparation.
“She goes above and beyond in preparing the hearts of her students to receive Jesus in first holy Eucharist,” Roosa says about Wetherell. “Her smile and her caring heart reach out to all children in her classroom, Catholic and not, teaching them the faith and showing them how to be Jesus to one another.”
A moment of innocence, a gift of a lifetime
Wetherell’s preparations for first Communion come with touches of humor, too.
“It may not be appropriate to share in The Criterion, but we do a practice run-through,” she says with a laugh.
“The children get to taste the unconsecrated host and they get a little sip of the wine. It’s humorous to watch them the first time they taste wine. I always get a little chuckle out of that first practice run-through, but other than that it is just such a special moment. I’m beyond grateful to share that moment with these children.”
That moment of innocence—with the girls in their white dresses and the boys in their suits—always takes Wetherell back to her own first Communion.
“In teaching the children, I’ve actually deepened my own faith,” she says. “Not only am I teaching them that it’s a gift, but I’m also receiving a gift in seeing their joy, in their understanding of what the Eucharist is. I received this wonderful gift 40 years ago, I help these kids receive this gift, and I’m still receiving the blessings.
“This whole experience has been absolutely wonderful for me.” †
Related story: ‘The most important thing I do’: Teacher shares gift of the Eucharist with children
