The Traveling Communion Dress of the Novinski Girls

One dress holds 46 years of Catholic tradition and memories

On May 3, 2009, Emma Olson made her first Communion; however, her experience was slightly different than most.

Emma wore a thinning, slightly yellowed, 46 year-old dress, not because she had to, but because she wanted to. Emma had been dreaming of the day when she could be part of her family’s long-standing tradition.

It all began back in 1963 when Elizabeth and Dennis Novinski’s eldest daughter, Agnes, made her first Holy Communion. Being a family with strong ties to the Catholic faith, it was no surprise that the first Novinski daughter’s first Communion would warrant a beautiful Communion dress and veil. After all, the Novinski family prayed the rosary together each night and said the Stations of the Cross once a week. In the Novinski household, religion, tradition and family were all intermingled. For the Novinski’s daughters, making their first Communion would be one of many milestones in a lifetime of religious tradition.

A few years after Agnes, the oldest daughter, celebrated her first Communion, it was the next daughter’s turn. When it came time to dress Cecilia, Elizabeth decided the dress Agnes had worn was still in good condition and Cecilia could wear it instead of getting a brand new one. In fact, the veil was still in mint condition as well.

After Agnes and Cecilia, came Geralyn, Virginia and then Bets. All three of them also wore the same dress and veil for their first Communions. Elizabeth thought this was a good way to save some money and reuse perfectly good items.

After all five Novinski girls made their Communions, the dress was safely packed away and not thought of again until 1985. Carolyn, the oldest daughter of the Novinski’s oldest daughter, Agnes, was about to make her first Communion. The dress was retrieved from its resting place. It was still in great condition, so 22 years after her mother wore it, Carolyn made her first Communion wearing the same dress.

After Carolyn, her two sisters, Bridget and Sarah, and her eight cousins, Charlotte, Eleanor, Amanda, Carrie, Jennifer, Angela, Beth and Emma, all wore the dress and veil for their first Communions. Hems were taken up and let down. A new headband was purchased for the veil because the old one was getting “pinchy.” Together the dress and veil have seen five different churches, the most recent being St. Catherine of Siena, Ripon, yet they have endured. There were a few close calls such as the time Eleanor, Cecilia’s youngest daughter, jumped off a swing with the dress on. Somehow, the dress survived that too.

Elizabeth no longer recalls where she purchased the dress. Nor does she remember how much it cost; however, it no longer matters because the dress has become invaluable as a symbol of their respect for the traditions of the Catholic Church and a reminder of the familial ties that bind them though they are now separated by geographical distances. “In a day and age when so many things are disposable, it is nice to have a piece of shared history,” said Bets Olson of the dress.

In 46 years, 16 people have worn the dress and successfully carried on a tradition now close to everyone’s heart. All five daughters and 11 granddaughters made their first Communions in the dress, and none of them has strayed from the tradition or the Church. Now, the pictures of each girl in the dress proudly adorn the walls of Elizabeth and Dennis’s house. Visitors will often inquire if all of the women in the family “were in a wedding at some point.”

In this seemingly girl-filled family, there are a few boys in the third generation. And, not to be outdone by their sisters and cousins, they shared a first Communion suit. Three boys in total wore it.

As for the daughters of Elizabeth and Dennis, they have all carried on what their parents taught them about the Catholic faith, values, volunteering and the importance of family. In 2001, Elizabeth received a papal award for her years of service and dedication to the church. Today, her daughters, as their mother did before them, all volunteer at their respective churches as lectors, organists and religious education teachers. As their daughters grow, mature and have families of their own, the Novinski daughters hope they have instilled in their daughters what their parents instilled in them.

As Emma was the last of her generation to make her first Communion, the dress will once again be packed away, waiting to make additional appearances when and if another generation of girls comes along.

To view individual picture of the Novinski girls in the Communion dress, go to the Living Our Faith Photo Gallery.

Article by Gillian Lester-George
Cover photo courtesy of the Novinski Family

(Front Row: Beth McGowan, Elizabeth Novinski, Emma Olson, Dennis Novinski, Charlotte Inman 

Second Row: Jennifer McGowan, Angela McGowan, Amanda Rufer, Bridget Hughes, Sarah Hughes, Carolyn (Hughes) Jahnke, Carrie Rufer, Eleanor Inman 

Back Row: Agnes Hughes, Cecilia Novinski, Geralyn Novinski, Virginia McGowan, Bets Olson)