First Communion Gifts
A First Communion is the day a child first receives the Eucharist, and the best pictures for it are the ones that show what the day is about: the Last Supper, Christ known in the breaking of bread, the chalice and the Host. Here they are, painted by the masters, alongside a young saint who made the Eucharist the centre of his life.
Most First Communions are celebrated between April and June, often on a Sunday in May. Each print is made to order: allow about two and a half weeks for delivery.
The Last Supper
Leonardo da Vinci
The most famous meal ever painted, the supper at which Christ gave the Eucharist — the one picture everyone recognises.
From $53.18
The Last Supper
Carl Bloch
By Carl Bloch, the Danish painter whose scenes from the life of Christ were reproduced in Bibles and classrooms for generations.
From $56.29
The Last Supper
Philippe de Champaigne
A still, clear Last Supper by Philippe de Champaigne, the finest religious painter of seventeenth-century Paris.
From $56.29
Supper at Emmaus
Caravaggio
Two disciples realise who has been walking with them the moment he breaks the bread — the Eucharist as recognition.
From $56.29
Friend of the Humble (Supper at Emmaus)
Léon Augustin Lhermitte
The same moment set in a nineteenth-century French farmhouse, with an ordinary family at an ordinary table.
From $32.98
Chalice and Host in a Niche, within a Cartouche of Roses and Fruit
Jan Davidsz de Heem
The chalice and the Host themselves, framed by roses and fruit — the Eucharist as a still life, beautiful in any room.
From $33.26
St. Bonaventure Receiving the Host from the Hands of an Angel
Francisco de Herrera
The legend of a saint who felt unworthy to receive, and an angel who brought him Communion — a story any child preparing for this day will understand.
From $33.26
Saint Carlo Acutis
Catholic Art Studio
The teenager who catalogued the Eucharistic miracles of the world, canonised in 2025 — a patron a child can relate to.
From $33.26
The Sacred Heart
Pompeo Batoni
Batoni’s Sacred Heart, painted for the Jesuits in Rome and copied onto holy cards ever since.
From $31.52
Christ Blessing the Children
Nicolaes Maes
Christ welcoming children — for the child being welcomed to the altar for the first time.
From $32.98
A gift that fits the day
Most First Communion gifts are for the day itself: a rosary, a prayer book, a medal. A picture does something different — it gives the child something to see every day afterwards that says what happened. That is why the Last Supper has hung in Catholic dining rooms for a century, and why the Emmaus story, in which two disciples recognise Christ only when he breaks the bread, is the one to give a child learning what the Eucharist means.
Children of seven or eight are old enough to be told the story behind a painting and to remember it. Every picture here comes with an essay on its page — who painted it, what is happening, what to look for — which makes a good thing to read aloud together, or to copy into the card.
Questions
What is a good First Communion gift?
Something that points back to the Eucharist and lasts: a rosary, a prayer book, a medal, or a picture for the child’s room. A picture of the Last Supper or of the Supper at Emmaus shows what the day is about.
How old is a child at First Communion?
Usually seven or eight — the “age of reason” — and most often in second grade in the United States.
Who is the patron saint of First Communicants?
Saint Tarcisius is the traditional patron. Saint Carlo Acutis, canonised in 2025, has quickly become a favourite, because of his devotion to the Eucharist and his age.
When should I order?
Order at least three weeks before the day. Prints are made to order, which takes three to five business days, and delivery takes five to ten more.