First Communion is a very important and valuable moment in the life of the young faithful and for their family. In fact, this is the first time that the child is permitted to receive the Eucharist, after a long process of catechesis.

First Communion can therefore be considered one of the milestones of “Christian initiation”, together with Baptism and Confirmation. Pope Francis said, “By this sacrament of love, comes every authentic path of faith, of communion and testimony.”

However, the First Communion is also a festive occasion, and to make it truly memorable, we want to give you some helpful advice.

1. Clothing for the First Communion. Young people about to receive the sacrament are usually given an alb that they will have to wear for the ceremony. To the alb, you can also add a dress to wear during the Communion or during the reception that follows. In general, the alb must be white and a quite simple shape.
2. Head wreaths or veils for the First Communion. Girls often choose a simple hairstyle, enriched by a white veil or a wreath of flowers and ribbons.
3. First Communion Bonbonnière. The favours will be offered to guests. They will naturally contain confetti and represent a beautiful memory for the future. There are many types of favours for First Communion in the form of ornaments, small jewellery, rosaries, icons, etc.
4. Souvenirs. If you choose a nicer or maybe personalised First Communion Party Favour, homemade by you, make sure that the guests have any kind of souvenir to cherish, even a prayer card or a card maybe made by the little celebrated child.
5. The Gift. It is customary that the child receives a gift on this occasion, something important, especially from a symbolic point of view.
6. Reception. This can be organised at home or at a restaurant, and should involve the child and his friends, so they really can associate this day with a very special party.
7. The cake. Even the cake must satisfy eyes and taste, but also reminds us of the reason for celebrating, perhaps with decorations that remind us of Communion.
8. Photographs. Like all great events, the First Communion deserves to be remembered and documented by an extensive photo reportage. If you do not want to rely on a professional, simply rely on the enthusiasm of friends and relatives.
9. Flowers. As decorations for the church or as gift for the child, the flowers will be a precious asset. Strictly white, for tradition and for the value and religious meaning. Pale pink is allowed. The flowers will be decorated with simple ribbons. Favorites are calla lilies, white roses, lilies, daisies.
10. Book. A beautiful edition of the Gospel or the Bible, or a prayer book for kids can be a nice gift for the First Communion and a precious memory for the life of the young faithful.

Baptism is the first sacrament that the young faithful approaches. It is a time of great celebration for the whole family, with which it celebrates its entrance into a fuller life, accompanying him in his first steps to the discovery of spirituality.

Like any celebration, the Baptism is characterised by objects, accessories and gifts that emphasise value and make it a unique and unrepeatable moment. Baptism accessories are varied and can carry a very valuable and important spiritual significance.

Take, for example, the immaculate gown, also called the ‘gown of fortune’. It is a little double tunic robe, usually donated to the mother after the third month of pregnancy as a good omen. It is worn by the child to the rite of Baptism and is then preserved by the family as a souvenir. It is a delicate garment, adorned with lace, and usually decorated with embroidery depicting a golden cross, an angel, and a lighted candle.

Another typical Baptism accessory is the Baptism candle, which represents the faith of the little newborn, the throbbing light of his soul. It is also usually kept as a souvenir or gift. There are many other Baptism accessories, which can be offered as a gift and precious memory, as small terracotta icons, wooden sculptures, prayers and blessings written on cardboard or thin wood. Then there are the christening accessories used by the priest in the celebration itself. The jars containing holy oils, for example, often encased in boxes or leather cases, Baptism services, consisting of chalice, ciborium and paten, made of precious metals, bottles for holy water, the plates and all necessary furnishings.

Baptism accessories help make this celebration a precious and unforgettable moment.

The use of oil lamps is very old. It dates back to Greek civilisation, and is also documented in the Mediterranean regions by the Phoenicians or the Romans, already many centuries before the birth of Christ.

In ancient times, oil lamps were simple flat containers with no lid and with a spout on the rim, which contained the wick. The risk of burns or fire was notable due to the lack of protection. Modern oil lamps have changed in this sense, but given the very flammable nature of the oil, it is still best to follow a few precautions.

1. The first trick is to never leave the lamp unattended, which means that it is advisable to turn it off when you leave the house or if you go to sleep, in order to prevent accidental falls or other accidents. For the same reasons, and to ensure the best conditions to the lamp, it is always better not to store it with the oil in the tank.
2. The oil lamp must be placed out of reach of children and pets, who may accidentally bump into it and drop it.
3. It is better to use refined white oil (kerosene), rather than colourful and fragrant oil. These last ones can spoil the wick.
4. Before ignition, the wick must be moistened with oil. The best wicks are the old style ones, with one side cut and slightly rounded. The cotton used in its composition absorbs the oil by capillarity, making it rise very slowly between the fibres and giving it time to warm up.
5. You should remove the cover of the lamp, take off the burner, in which you will insert the wick, and add the oil, which you should not overfill to avoid spills. The wick must have 1 or 2 cm distance between the flame and the oil. In fact, if the flame comes in direct contact with the oil in the tank, everything would ignite. At the same time, however, an excessive distance would prevent the oil to go up along the wick to ensure the flame.

The Patron Saint of Journalists, an eminent figure of the Counter Reformation and the French Catholic mystic, St. Francis de Sales was an authoritative doctor of the Church, but a man of his time first.

Born in 1567 and raised in a family of ancient Savoyard nobility, he enjoyed all the privileges that his birth gave him, living between France and Italy, and pursuing his education at the most prestigious schools and universities.

Despite the infinite possibilities that his position and his name would guarantee him, he preferred to follow a religious vocation. He took orders and immediately devoted himself to preaching, especially against the Protestant Reformation.

Voluntarily, he chose to settle in Geneva, symbol of Calvinism and maximum headquarter of the reformers, and in a few years, he became bishop of the city. His method was based primarily on dialogue, and on the belief that the divine presence was present in men, supporting their actions. Especially in the early years of his preaching, the ‘manifests’ he affixed in public places were famous, as were the papers that he slid under doors to reach the faithful via written word for those he could not reach in person.

It was this unusual and new use of written communication that made him the patron of journalists and writers. He was the author of important religious works, which are still considered today to be among the most important texts of the Church, such as the “Introduction to the Devout Life” and “Treatise on the love of God”. His idea of love of God was at the root of all his preaching and work, and allowed him to convert also many Huguenots and Calvinists to Catholicism. In this sense, he was one of the main representatives of devout humanism. He was beatified in 1661, less than forty years after his death, and he inspired many congregations, particularly the Salesian Family created by Saint John Bosco, with regard to the education of children, especially those of the poorest classes.

The egg is always, in every culture, a symbol of life. The tradition of giving real eggs painted or made of various materials, is both religious and secular in all countries. It has origins in paganism: the egg as a symbol of rebirth and fertility, with its yellow yolk that symbolises the sun and life.

The tradition has existed in Russia since ancient times and has reached levels of truly impressive artistic craftsmanship. Especially at Easter, it is a widespread custom to give painted and decorated eggs.

It seems that this custom’s origin harks back to the legend that Mary Magdalene came to Rome to preach the Gospel, and offered to Emperor Tiberius a red-coloured egg and said, “Christ is risen.” Since then giving painted eggs has become a way of celebrating the Resurrection.

Initially these were chicken eggs or eggs from other birds painted by women, but they later became true works of art. The most striking case is undoubtedly that of the imperial Fabergé eggs, real jewels enriched with precious stones, varnish, diamonds, and pearls, made from its homonymous company and donated by the last Tsar of Russia to the women of the imperial family.

Even the traditional Russian painted eggs have always been very popular. Usually made of wood, but also with other materials that are can be precious, or even humble, like papier-mâché, have difficulty not indifferent to their form, on which is not easy to paint, which is what makes them so special.

The best icon painters and Russian miniaturists ventured in the difficult art of painted Russian eggs by using a magnifying glass and a single bristle brush for the details of faces and detailed environments in surprising ways.

In more recent times, some artists have chosen to use the decoupage technique on Russian painted eggs, by applying silkscreen icons onto the surface of the egg.

Russian painted eggs’ decoration follows a precise colour and symbol code. The subjects are the same as those reproduced on Russian icons, with a particular occurrence of the figure of the Virgin and Christ the Resurrected.

St. John the Baptist is one of the most important figures, not only for the Catholic Christian religion, but in general, for all Christian Churches and Islam, which considers him one of the most important prophets that preceded Muhammad.

The Lord Himself said that nobody born from a woman was greater than John the Baptist.

The statues depicting Saint John the Baptist often depict him as a child, to symbolise his precocious vocation. In fact, Catholics venerate him as the Precursor of Christ, the one who was appointed, whilst still in the womb, to prepare the coming of the Savior.

When Mary went to visit Elizabeth, her mother, the baby leapt for joy in her womb in awareness of the imminent birth of Jesus. His birth was announced by the archangel Gabriel, who made the announcement to Mary, and was, as he was his whole life, prophetic for the coming of Christ. Statues in San Giovanni Battista often have a lamb in their arms, a sign of his pastoral dimension of souls.

Patron of the monks, was an ascetic, a hermit and the founder of a community that promises in verses that which was later created by Jesus of Nazareth. His preaching was focused on the imminent breakthrough represented by the advent of Jesus, John referred to as “stronger”, a bearer of salvation.

Giovanni Battista practised baptism as an act of penance, that is to say, immersion in the Jordan River as a sign of penance. The baptism of John the Baptist was not a mere ritual ablution, as mentioned previously among the Jews, but an authentic and conscious act of ‘conversion’ and spiritual choice. The statues representing John the Baptist as an adult show him dressed in leather. He is often wielding an axe, with which, according to tradition, he said he would sever the roots of the trees that would not have borne good fruit.