The Seven Sacraments
What are the Sacraments?
The Sacraments are “actions of the Holy Spirit at work in His Body, the Church. They are the ‘masterworks of God’ in the new and everlasting covenant.” The purpose of the Sacraments, wrote the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council, “is to sanctify human beings, to build up the Body of Christ, and, finally, to give worship to God…. They not only presuppose faith, but by words and objects they also nourish, strengthen, and express it.” Sacraments are where Christ and His people are joined as one.
In order to receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Marriage, the family or individual must be a registered member(s) of the Parish. Arrangements for these sacraments are made by the Rector & Parish Priest.
Sacraments
Baptism, Confirmation, First Reconciliation, and Communion : Children/Adults are received into these sacraments once they are converted into Christianity legally. Please consult the Rector & Parish Priest
Baptism
The Sacrament of Baptism is administered on the 2nd, 3rd & 4th Sunday of the month after the 9:00 Mass. Godparents must be practicing Catholics, age 16 or older, and must have been confirmed.
Baptism is the first of the Sacraments of initiation into the Catholic church. It makes us adopted children of God, incorporates us into Christ, pardons all our sin, and forms us into God’s people. It confers a permanent relationship (“character”) with Christ and his Church which lasts even should one cease to be an active member of the Catholic community. For this reason a validly baptized Christian is never re-baptized and has the right to a Christian funeral.
Bishops, priests and deacons are the ordinary ministers of baptism, although anyone with the right intention may administer the sacrament in case of imminent death. The words for conferring baptism in the Latin Church are: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”.
First Reconciliation
This sacrament is administered before receiving the first Holy Communion. “According to the Church’s Command, after having attained the age of discretion, each of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1457)
However, the Church encourages Catholics to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Penance at least monthly throughout our lifetime so that we can benefit from the graces obtained through reception of this sacrament.
This sacrament reconciles us with God and joins us to him in intimate friendship. It also reconciles us with the Church and revitalizes her life which we have weakened by our sin.
Holy Eucharist
Everyone is welcome to attend Mass. Only Catholics in good standing and not conscious of grave sin and who have fasted for one hour may receive Holy Communion.
The Holy Eucharist completes Christian initiation” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1322).
“The Eucharist is the ‘source and summit of the Christian life’. The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1324)
If from the beginning Christians have celebrated the Eucharist and in a form whose substance has not changed despite the great diversity of times and liturgies, it is because we know ourselves to be bound by the command the Lord gave on the eve of his Passion: “Do this in remembrance of me.”
We carry out this command of the Lord by celebrating the memorial of his sacrifice. In so doing, we offer to the Father what he has himself given us: the gifts of his creation, bread and wine which, by the power of the Holy Spirit and by the words of Christ, have become the body and blood of Christ. Christ is thus really and mysteriously made present.
We must therefore consider the Eucharist as
- Thanksgiving and praise to the Father; the sacrificial memorial of Christ and his Body;
- The presence of Christ by the power of his word and of his Spirit.
Confirmation
This Sacrament is administered during the month of July every year.
“… by the Sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1285).
All baptized persons who have not been confirmed and only they are capable of being confirmed. It is required, if the person has the use of reason, that he/she be suitably instructed, properly disposed and able to renew his/her baptismal promises(canon 889).
Sponsors for this sacrament are ideally, the same persons who served as one’s baptismal sponsors. They are intended to be models of faith and so must be Confirmed themselves, be practising their faith, and be mature enough (usually sixteen years or older) to carry out the role of sponsor. A sponsor can be either male or female. Parents cannot be sponsors for their own children (canons 874 and 893).
Marriage
The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1601).
In the Latin Rite the celebration of marriage between two Catholics normally takes place during Mass because of the connection of all the sacraments with the death and resurrection of Christ. The parties to a marriage covenant are a baptized man and woman, free to contract marriage, who freely expresses their consent. The Church holds “the exchange of consent between the spouses to be the indispensable element that ‘makes the marriage’” (Catechism, 1626). If there is no true consent, there is no marriage.
All couples wishing to be married are required to attend Marriage Preparatory classes held by the Family Commission of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Centre. Couples planning to marry must contact the Rector & Parish Priest to set a date for the wedding well ahead of the marriage date. The church calendar and the schedule of the priests’ schedules are set far in advance, so no other wedding plans should be made before contacting one of the Priests. Such preparation allows the couple to come to a deeper knowledge of each other and of the sacrament they will receive, including the reasons for its indissolubility.
Anointing of the Sick
Every parishioner who is facing major surgery or serious illness may receive the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. Anointing may be done at any time by appointment. If surgery has been scheduled, please arrange for anointing before admission to the hospital.
This sacrament of healing is meant to heal the whole person, spiritually and physically while at the same time reassuring the person of God’s love and mercy. The preferred place for celebrating this sacrament is in the church with family and members of the church community present. Celebrating the sacrament before entering the hospital means the ill person can better appreciate the prayers and symbols of the rite.
Visitation of the Sick
Please notify the Rector & Parish Priest if someone is unable to attend Church and wishes to receive Communion at home or in a nursing home. For those who are sick, you can call the Priest at any time.
Holy Orders
“Holy Orders are the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time; thus it is the sacrament of apostolic ministry. It includes three degrees: episcopate, presbyterate and diaconate (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1536)
The essential rite of this sacrament for all three degrees consists in the bishop’s imposition of hands on the head of the ordained and his specific consecratory prayer asking God for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and his gifts proper to the ministry to which the candidate is being ordained. It is desirable that the ceremony take place within the Eucharistic liturgy and that as many of the faithful as possible take part.
Some basic Catholic etiquette
- Receiving Communion is permissible either in the hand or directly on the tongue. During the Annual Feast, Communion will not be given in hand. If Communion is to be received in the hand, one hand should be placed on top of the other in the form of a cross. The hands should be elevated enough for easy placement by the priest. After receiving the Host, step to the side and place it into your mouth. Those who wish to receive on the tongue should tilt their heads back slightly and extend their tongue.
- Be sure the ringers on cell phones or pagers are turned off before entering the church. Our arrival time and first gestures should reflect reverence. Arrive ten to fifteen minutes early to ensure parking, seating, and a short, silent prayer prior to the start of Mass. After communion, it is appropiate to remain kneeling until the priest returns to his seat.
- The Mass is the center of our lives, not because it takes us away from our worldly involvements, but because it empowers us to deal with those involvements in the name and with the energy of Christ, Himself – Quote from Catholic Etiquette.
- Try to be timely. It is distracting when people arrive for Mass late.
- When in the pew, you should quietly pray to yourself or meditate. This isn’t the time to socialize with your friends. If you must talk, make it brief and whisper.
- During Mass or during other services, silence has to be maintained. Don’t allow your children to wander the aisles and be disruptive. When the child isn’t settling, consider taking them outside the Church. Once they have calmed down, please feel free to bring them back into the congregation.
- The final part of Mass is singing a last hymn. It is courteous to stay until the song is over. Leaving beforehand, on a weekly basis, is considered rude behavior.