Under a Facebook post by The Irish Times on September 21, the public gave their opinions on secular ‘non-Communions’, the subject of a story written by Rachel O’Dwyer for The Irish Times.
The story, which focused on the growing desire of non-practising Catholics to include their children in First Communion ceremonies because they feel “left out”, garnered lots of interest from Facebook users.
Commenter David McDermott pointed out that most Catholic children and families, whether practising or non-practising, are primarily focused on the “pomp and celebration” of Communion anyway. James Halligan agreed, writing “the religious ceremony is just an afterthought.”
Miranda MacDonald criticised this attitude, writing “‘I want all the perks but I don’t want to work for it’…what a sign of our times!” P.J. Dalton was of a different opinion: “I don’t see any issue for the kids with giving them the party without the religion, it’s better than indoctrinating them into a religion they or you have no interest in just because of a party.”
Anne Fitzgerald pointed out that the ‘non-Communion’ phenomenon may be a product of a larger issue within the education system. She wrote, “This will be a lot easier once religion is an afterschool class.”
