“As the mom of a seven-year-old who will be making his First Communion this spring, I am so grateful to have the help of Tommy and Katie McGrady and their wonderful book First Communion and Beyond: A Family’s Guide to Eucharistic Joy. It’s faithful, practical, and, most of all, written from the perspective of parents who are in the trenches with us, striving to raise joyful, healthy children who love Jesus and the Catholic faith. In short, it’s a treasure!”
Emily Stimpson Chapman
Catholic author, speaker, and cohost of the Visitation Sessions podcast

“As Catholic parents, we want to do everything we can to help prepare our kids to receive Jesus at their First Communion, but the question is how. In First Communion and Beyond, Tommy and Katie McGrady take out the guesswork with a beautiful and feasible at-home guide that any parent can follow.”
Lisa and Kevin Cotter
Host of the Hallow app series Hallowed Be Thy Day; head of studios at Hallow

“It is no small thing to welcome voices of guidance and accompaniment into the sacred space of family life and the formation of children concerning the source and summit of our faith—the Eucharist. I am confident that Tommy and Katie McGrady are worthy guides for you during this sacred time. In First Communion and Beyond, they mine the treasures of ordinary moments in their own family life and offer you practical guidance—including sample scripts for various moments! They help you learn to hold space for and encourage children’s wonder and their questions about Jesus in the Eucharist. Their daughter Rose is a profound witness in her courage to ask questions about the mysteries of our faith. Her younger sister, Clare, is a profound witness in her trust of the mysteries of the faith. May the witness of the McGrady family be an encouragement to you as you allow this time in your family life to be a renewal of wonder, curiosity, joy, confidence, and faith before Jesus in the Eucharist.”
Sr. Josephine Garrett, CSFN
Licensed mental health counselor, host of the Hope Stories podcast, and author of Wilderness Within

“Talking to our kids about the source and summit of our faith can be incredibly intimidating, and it can also function as a bit of a mirror, exposing what we believe about something we don’t necessarily talk about a lot on a daily basis. Now the McGradys have created something that not only will help children learn how to enter the Mass from their young perspectives—it will also help parents rediscover a childlike faith in the greatest miracle we all bear witness to every week: the Eucharist.”
Matt Maher
Catholic recording artist and songwriter

“Catholic families today need this book! With practical tools and heartfelt guidance, it equips parents to walk with their children not only on the day of First Communion but also throughout the lifelong journey of faith that follows. Blending down-to-earth reflections with humorous and poignant stories, this book nurtures the faith of young children, their parents, and families who together ensure no one is left behind! Thank you, McGradys! What a treasure this book will be!”
Elisabeth Williams
Cofounder and director of mission integration at Catholic Concepts

“This book had me laughing but also in tears several times—what a treasure it will be for families walking with a child toward First Communion! Tommy and Katie McGrady share personal stories that are both relatable and seamlessly connected to scripture and Church teaching. Parents who often feel ill-equipped will find themselves encouraged and formed in faith alongside their children, discovering that they, too, are invited, welcomed, and nourished at the Lord’s table.”
Christie McGee
Director of children and family ministry at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Richardson, Texas

“The Church sets before us some exalted mysteries: God is three and one; the Lord took human flesh; the bread and wine become his Body and Blood. While these mysteries lie well beyond our comprehension, God still prompts us to grasp something of their beauty. In this book, Tommy and Katie McGrady lay out the essentials of Eucharistic worship with stories and images that will cause both parents and first communicants to marvel. For as exalted as the mysteries are, they are still somehow ours for the taking.”
Fr. Gregory Pine, OP
Instructor of dogmatic and moral theology at the Dominican House of Studies and assistant director of the Thomistic Institute