Sacraments

BAPTISM
The origin and foundation of Christian Baptism is Jesus. Before starting his public ministry, Jesus submitted himself to the baptism given by John the Baptist. The waters did not purify him; he cleansed the waters... Jesus did not need to be baptized because he was totally faithful to the will of his Father and free from sin. However, he wanted to show his solidarity with human beings in order to reconcile them to the Father. By commanding his disciples to baptize all nations, he established the means by which people would die to sin – Original and actual – and begin to live a new life with God.

In Baptism, the Holy Spirit moves us to answer Christ's call to holiness. In Baptism, we are asked to walk by the light of Christ and to trust in his wisdom. We are invited to submit our hearts to Christ with ever deeper love.

For more information on the Sacrament of Baptism, click here.

RECONCILIATION
Not only does it [the Sacrament of Penance] free us from our sins but it also challenges us to have the same kind of compassion and forgiveness for those who sin against us. We are liberated to be forgivers. We obtain new insight into the words of the Prayer of St. Francis: "It is in pardoning that we are pardoned."

Jesus entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to the Church. The Sacrament of Penance is God's gift to us so that any sin committed after Baptism can be forgiven. In confession we have the opportunity to repent and recover the grace of friendship with God. It is a holy moment in which we place ourselves in his presence and honestly acknowledge our sins, especially mortal sins. With absolution, we are reconciled to God and the Church. The Sacrament helps us stay close to the truth that we cannot live without God. "In him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

For more information on the Sacrament of Reconciliation, click here.

EUCHARIST
The Eucharist in the Catholic Church is a Sacrament celebrated as "the source and summit" of the Christian life. The Eucharist is celebrated daily during the celebration of Mass, the Eucharistic Liturgy.

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION
In general, those who belong to the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church and were baptized before the "age of reason" prepare for First Communion when they are at least 7-years-old (usually in 2nd grade). Sometime before First Communion, they receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (also called Penance or Confession). First Communion is usually sometime in the spring.

It is not uncommon for members of the Eastern Catholic Churches (sui iuris) join us at the Mass, and we are greatly enriched by their presence. Infants (or children before the age of reason) baptized in these Churches receive all three Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist) at the time of Baptism. If you have young children who were fully initiated as Eastern Rite Catholics, just let the priest or brother know at the Communion rail that you are Eastern Rite and your child can receive Holy Communion. Depending on how small your child is, he may break off a smaller portion of the host to give to your child.

GUIDELINES FOR THE RECEPTION OF HOLY COMMUNION
For Catholics

- Catholics fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when they receive Holy Communion in fulfillment of Christ's command to eat His Body and drink His Blood. In order to be properly disposed to receive Communion, communicants should not be conscious of grave sin, have fasted for an hour, and seek to live in charity and love with their neighbors. Persons conscious of grave sin must first be reconciled with God and the Church through the sacrament of Penance. A frequent reception of the sacrament of Penance is encouraged for all.

For Other Christians

- We welcome to this celebration of the Eucharist those Christians who are not fully united with us. It is a consequence of sad divisions in Christianity that we cannot extend to them a general invitation to receive Communion. Catholics believe that the Eucharist is an action of the celebrating community signifying a oneness in faith, life, and worship of the community. Reception of the Eucharist by Christians not fully united with us would imply a oneness which does not yet exist, and for which we must all pray.

For Those Not Receiving Communion

- Those not receiving Sacramental Communion are encouraged to express in their hearts a prayerful. desire or unity with the Lord Jesus and with one another.

For Non-Christians

- We also welcome to this celebration those that do not share our faith in Jesus. While we cannot extend to them an invitation to receive Communion, we do invite them to be united with us in prayer.

Printed by order of the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy National Conference of Catholic Bishops 1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005 November 8, 1986.

LOW GLUTEN HOSTS
Available for those who may need it. [Please consult your doctor. The low gluten hosts we use are approved by the USCCB. The gluten content is <.001% or 10ppm.] On any given day, we try to keep at least 10 consecrated low gluten hosts in the tabernacle. If you are new to the parish or visiting, please notify either the priest before Mass begins to let us know that you require a low gluten host. In general, those receiving the low gluten hosts come up toward the end of Holy Communion. When the priest approaches you at the rail, let him know that you require a low gluten host. He will return to the altar or tabernacle in order to obtain the pyx containing the consecrated low gluten hosts.

For more information on the Eucharist, click here.

CONFIRMATION
The prophets of the Old Testament foretold that God's Spirit would rest upon the Messiah to sustain his mission. Their prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus the Messiah was conceived by the Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus on the occasion of his baptism by John. Jesus' entire mission occurred in communion with the Spirit. Before he died, Jesus promised that the Spirit would be given to the Apostles and to the entire Church. After his death, he was raised by the Father in the power of the Spirit.

Confirmation deepens our baptismal life that calls us to be missionary witnesses of Jesus Christ in our families, neighborhoods, society, and the world... We receive the message of faith in a deeper and more intensive manner with great emphasis given to the person of Jesus Christ, who asked the Father to give the Holy Spirit to the Church for building up the community in loving service.

For more information on the Sacrament of Confirmation, click here.

HOLY MARRIAGE
Sacred Scripture begins with the creation and union of man and woman and ends with "the wedding feast of the Lamb" (Rev 19:7, 9). Scripture often refers to marriage, its origin and purpose, the meaning God gave to it, and its renewal in the covenant made by Jesus with his Church. Man and woman were created for each other.

By their marriage, the couple witnesses Christ's spousal love for the Church. One of the Nuptial Blessings in the liturgical celebration of marriage refers to this in saying, "Father, you have made the union of man and wife so holy a mystery that it symbolizes the marriage of Christ and his Church."

The Sacrament of Marriage is a covenant, which is more than a contract. Covenant always expresses a relationship between persons. The marriage covenant refers to the relationship between the husband and wife, a permanent union of persons capable of knowing and loving each other and God. The celebration of marriage is also a liturgical act, appropriately held in a public liturgy at church. Catholics are urged to celebrate their marriage within the Eucharistic Liturgy.

For more information on the Sacrament of Marriage, click here.

HOLY ORDERS
From the moment of Jesus' conception in the womb of Mary until his Resurrection, he was filled with the Holy Spirit. In biblical language, he was anointed by the Holy Spirit and thus established by God the Father as our high priest. As Risen Lord, he remains our high priest... While all the baptized share in Christ's priesthood, the ministerial priesthood shares this through the Sacrament of Holy Orders in a special way.

Ordination to the priesthood is always a call and a gift from God. Christ reminded his Apostles that they needed to ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into the harvest. Those who seek priesthood respond generously to God's call using the words of the prophet, "Here I am, send me" (Is 6:8). This call from God can be recognized and understood from the daily signs that disclose his will to those in charge of discerning the vocation of the candidate.

For more information on the Holy Orders, click here.

ANOINTING OF THE SICK
In the Church's Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, through the ministry of the priest, it is Jesus who touches the sick to heal them from sin – and sometimes even from physical ailment. His cures were signs of the arrival of the Kingdom of God. The core message of his healing tells us of his plan to conquer sin and death by his dying and rising.

The Rite of Anointing tells us there is no need to wait until a person is at the point of death to receive the Sacrament. A careful judgment about the serious nature of the illness is sufficient.

When the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given, the hoped-for effect is that, if it be God's will, the person be physically healed of illness. But even if there is no physical healing, the primary effect of the Sacrament is a spiritual healing by which the sick person receives the Holy Spirit's gift of peace and courage to deal with the difficulties that accompany serious illness or the frailty of old age.

For more information on the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, click here.