When I Was a Child: Children's Interpretations of First Communion [Paperback]

Susan Ridgely Bales (Author)

Book Description

First Communion is generally understood as a rite of passage in which seven- and eight-year-old Catholic children transform from baptized participants in the Church to members of the body of Christ, the universal Catholic Church. This official Church account, however, ignores what the rite actually may mean to its participants. In When I Was a Child, Susan Ridgely Bales demonstrates that the accepted understanding of a religious ritual can shift dramatically when one considers the often neglected perspective of child participants.

Bales followed Faith Formation classes and interviewed communicants, parents, and priests in an African American parish and in a parish containing both white and Latino congregations. By letting the children speak for themselves through their words, drawings, and actions, When I Was a Child stresses the importance of rehearsal, the centrality of sensory experiences, and the impact of expectations in the communicants' interpretations of the Eucharist. In the first sustained ethnographic study of how children interpret and help shape their own faith, Bales finds that children's perspectives give new contours to the traditional understanding of a common religious ritual. Ultimately, she argues that scholars of religion should consider age as distinct a factor as race, class, and gender in their analyses.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

In this ethnographic study of children's religious lives, Bales listens to children's own perspectives on the ritual of first communion. Based on work in an urban African American congregation and in a white and Latino congregation, Bales argues that age should be a factor as distinct as race, class, and gender are to scholars of religion.

About the Author

Susan Ridgely Bales is an Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellow in the religion department at Carleton College.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (February 26, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807856339
• ISBN-13: 978-0807856338
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #997,191 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written and insightful, July 7, 2006

By 

John Bee (Jenkintown, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When I Was a Child: Children's Interpretations of First Communion (Paperback)

Susan Bales has written a wonderfully insightful book on the experiences of Catholic children as they prepare for, and participate in, First Communion. This is a must read for Catholic educators of children and their parents. The book is also a treasure trove for scholars of Religion American - filled with rich research and analysis. A gem!