During Catholic Schools Week Mass, 12 students at St. Mary’s School in Rockville receive First Communion
riday during Catholic Schools Week for students at St. Mary’s School in Rockville, Maryland, unfolded in a memorable way at St. Mary’s Church on Jan. 31, 2025, as 12 students received their First Holy Communion, including eight of nine students who had been baptized into the Catholic faith at a school Mass in December.
“We have a lot to celebrate today,” said Father Nathanael Anderson, a parochial vicar at St. Mary’s Parish who presided at the Mass and gave those students their First Communion.
Before the Mass, Camille Kroll, the coordinator of religious education at St. Mary’s Parish who is also the coordinator for religious education for grades 5-8 at St. Mary’s School, in an interview reflected on the journey of faith of the students who had been baptized and then were about to receive their First Holy Communion. She noted that their parents had contacted the school and said that “the children love the faith, they love what they’re learning, and they want to be Catholic.”