First Communion and Beyond

In this practical and uplifting spiritual guide for parents, Tommy and Katie McGrady—hosts of Family Mass Prep on the Hallow app—share short, inspiring, down-to-earth stories from their own family life to encourage you again and again as you walk with your child toward First Communion and into a lifelong, ever-deepening friendship with Jesus.

Drawing from their personal experience of growing in faith alongside their daughter Rose, the McGradys offer wisdom on helping children (and parents!) understand the beauty of the Eucharist and the joy of meeting Christ in Holy Communion. Designed to complement the sacramental preparation program at your parish, this small but powerful book can become a spiritual companion and keepsake for years to come.

First Communion and Beyond is organized into five chapters, each one built around five practical tools or family habits for nurturing spiritual growth for you and for your child. Each habit leads you to a better understanding of what the Catholic Church teaches about the Eucharist:

1. Joining Our Stories to the Church’s Story: Discover how to weave Eucharistic awareness into the rhythm of daily life.

2. Learning from Scripture: Explore parent-friendly reflections on the gospels and key moments from the Mass that reveal how deeply Jesus desires to be with us in the Eucharist.

3. Thinking and Growing as Parents: Pause to reflect, pray, and deepen your own spiritual life as you guide your child’s.

4. Growing Together as Parents and Children: Use simple but meaningful conversations to help your family connect more deeply with each chapter’s theme.

5. Praying as a Family: End your time together with a heartfelt prayer from the McGradys—or one of your own.

With warmth, humor, and a deep love for the faith, the McGradys remind us that First Communion is about far more than a single day—it’s about nurturing a lifelong relationship with Jesus. As they explain, it’s about “helping our children take Jesus from the abstractions of what we believe about him and instead see him fully present in the everyday realities of their young lives. Preparing for First Communion ought to teach our children—and remind us—how to know and love Jesus in their hearts, in the scriptures, in the Eucharist, and in all the other people life brings their way.”

Learn more about the book by watching this video introduction with the authors.