Recollections of My Life and Reflections on Times and Events During It: A Memoir by Father W. J. Howlett

First Communion ceremony

"The morning of the First Communion was a busy one for priests and people. I think there were three priests hearing confessions and they were kept busy until mass time. Of course, the people were busy too, for the mothers must spend a little more time on this day on the children’s wardrobe than usual. The consequence for us was that when we had come our six miles the mass was about to begin and there was not time for confession. The rest was that we were not able to make our First Communion with the others. The ceremony was long and it was late when all was over. When the priests went to dinner and returned only after their Sunday recreation, it was near three o’clock before we could go to confession, and it was then that Father DeNeve learned that my brother and I had not gone to communion, and thus it was that we were able to keep in the class for Confirmation. I think this was October 27, 1847, and the following Sunday we were confirmed, and it seemed to me that almost all the congregation was confirmed at the same time."

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** It appears that Fr. Howlett made a mistake in typing the date as "October 27, 1847" rather than "October 27, 1857." Fr. Howlett was born on March 6, 1847 so it would have been impossible for him to receive First Communion that year as he describes it. In addition, Fr. DeNeve did not arrive in Niles, MI until 1856. 

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