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Irish American parents scale back on First Communion expenses

Families downsize on big bucks Communions

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A Belfast girl making her First Communion

Photo by PA

With first Holy Communion season upon us, recession-hit Irish Catholic parents are struggling to cover costs for Communion outfits and celebrations.

From dresses, to veils, to suits, to shoes, to gloves, to purses, to keepsake Bibles, to parties, the expenses rack up for parents of a child making their First Communion.

Now, as Ireland and the U.S. sink further into recession, Catholic parents in both countries are shifting their focus from fancy dresses and parties to the spiritual and more meaningful side of a child’s First Communion.

In two weeks, Marion Minogue’s fourth child, eight-year-old Fionan, will make his Communion – without the glitz and glam that’s typically associated with the occasion.

Minogue, who lives in County Tipperary, is “absolutely cutting down” on Communion costs, saying: “I’m probably more sensible at this stage in my life, but certainly the global economic situation is making everybody cautious.”

The Irish mother admits that, “Years ago, when my oldest girl, who’s now 20, was making her Communion, I would have been more conscious of everybody having new clothes, but now I don’t see the need to throw money around. And I don’t want to throw money around because it’s such a fleeting experience.”

The Minogues are focusing on the spiritual experience of Fionan’s First Communion, rather than the materialistic side of it, and luckily Fionan’s school gives the children the choice of wearing the school uniform to the Communion ceremony, which most of them end up doing.

“This whole climate makes people decide what do you really need and what you really want,” Minogue said. “And it’s down to only what’s necessary.”

The Minogue family will celebrate Fionan’s Communion with a small family get together and a walk in the mountains – Fionan’s choice.

Similarly, Irish Catholic families in the U.S. are feeling less pressure to “show off” with nice clothes and big parties, and are keeping things low key.

Ciaran Staunton, a County Mayo native, will celebrate his daughter Kathleen’s First Communion on May 10. Luckily for her father, Kathleen picked an inexpensive dress out of a catalogue and chose her family’s Midtown restaurant  for her party location. “We offered Kathleen to have a party at any venue, and she on her own chose O’Neills – she picked it herself.”

Staunton, owner of O’Neill’s pub in New York City, hears from other venue owners that this year, Communion parties have noticeably scaled down. “I know from talking to people in the stores that they have noticed that parties were certainly trimmed back,” he said.

See more: irish news, first communion, catholics, dresses, girls

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