THE FIRST COMMUNION SEASON HAS STARTED

A few years ago a friend from India asked me about 'child brides" in Ireland and when I told him that it was not a custom here in Ireland he insisted that he had seen many and that he had photographs to prove it.

At the time I was totally confused but when I saw the photographs I understood what he had seen. Every May here in Ireland you will see many girls dressed in either "First Communion" or "Confirmation" outfits ... the poorer the family the more expensive the outfit.

Here is a quote from an advice website:

"It’s ironic that the big days in a modern child’s religious life often prompt the kind of excesses and indulgence that, in the days of the Old Testament, got entire cities zapped by the almighty. The stories of limousines (or even horse-drawn carriages) transporting holy terrors to the church, full fake tan sessions for seven year olds, and children raking in four-figure sums are all a bit grotesque – and recognizable. Little wonder, then, that for many families, a child’s First Confession is the beginning of a debt problem and a First Communion is when it starts to get serious, while Confirmation is when the College fund gets raided, or worse. None of us want to harm our child’s future for the sake of three days in their life, but peer pressure and misplaced love often drives us to it."