Baptism is a sacrament which effectively signifies and ritualizes one’s initiation into the community called Church and manifests God’s love (grace) for his people. Through God’s unconditional love, the effect of original sin is reconciled and the newly baptized Christian is guided and strengthened in his/her promise of fidelity to Jesus Christ. The symbolic use of oil is an essential sign of the sealing and strengthening of this promise. The use of water is an essential symbol of the purification and new life in Christ which is effected at Baptism.

The sacraments are God’s invitation to build a loving relationship with Him through our own relationships with others and ourselves.

We are created in God’s image, an image of goodness. Therefore, by our very nature, we are good. It is when we, by our own choice, fail to participate in this goodness that we sin. Reconciliation is an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of sin as the personal way each one of us chooses to deal with evil. When we sin, we break relationships in a number of ways: with God, with neighbor, with nature, and with self.

Reconciliation is more than confessing, making a clean breast of faults. It is renewing these relationships. In light of this understanding, the sacrament is seen as a means of atonement, to be “at-one” in these relationships again. The sacrament is a situation in which the penitent and priest can celebrate the loving forgiveness of a God who is merciful, no matter how gravely wrong we are or how many times we do the same things over and over again. As our understanding of the Sacrament of Reconciliation has grown and developed, so, too, have the roles of confessor and penitent. The confessor is not merely seen as a judge of another’s offenses. He is the facilitator of prayer, counselor of the Gospel and proclaimer of forgiveness. Likewise, the penitents are no longer seen as merely offenders of God’s goodness. They also are seen as proclaimers of God’s forgiveness by recognizing their sinfulness, asking for God’s pardon and celebrating His mercy. Penitents need not prepare a long list of sins and the frequency of times committed, but there should be an effort, in examination of conscience, to review the faults that have been frequent, disturbing, and perhaps even destructive to one’s life.

At some time during the confession of faults, there should be an honest statement that the individual intends to try to rise above these weaknesses. That’s something to celebrate: not only that our God is so loving that He accepts our contrition, but that we are so genuine as to want to really overcome our shortcomings.

The Rite of Reconciliation is, therefore, primarily the manifestation of the Father’s all-encompassing love. For the child it is important to interpret the commandment “Love the Lord your God” to mean “God wants you to start growing now in your own love of Him” or “God wants you to love Him a little more all the time.” (Psychology of Childhood Confessions, Baers). For the adult, it is important to develop harmoniously as a person – emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually – in order to love God with one’s whole heart, whole soul, and whole mind, and neighbor as one’s self. For indeed, it is through a lifetime of growth not only in knowledge and faith, but also in desire and love that we approach this goal.

We are excited to journey with your family while your child prepares to receive the Body, Blood Soul, and Divinity of Christ in the Eucharist! First Communion preparation is for families with baptized Catholic children in 2nd grade or above.

Norms for the Celebration and Reception of First Communion (Click for more information)

Those pursuing Confirmation will encounter Christ, grow  in their relationship with and knowledge of Christ, and serve others! We offere this Sacrament to all teenagers who are entering 8th grade (and up) and will to commit their lives in Christ! In the sacrament of Confirmation, we are anointed with the sacred chrism and sealed with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Confirmation is necessary for the completion of the graces we recieve at Baptism.

Those pursuing Confirmation will meet in weekly small groups and attned our Student Encounter once a month.

The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, once known as Extreme Unction, is, as St. James tells us, for the sick and infirmed. This sacrament is a sacrament of healing as the Church reaches out with the healing hand of the Lord to the young or old, to one who is seriously ill, about to undergo surgery, or weakened by old age. This is a time of prayer with Christ the healer. This sacrament is meant to help those anointed to live well, to suffer patiently, maybe to become better, and hopefully to die without fear. It is a healing sign. It is a peaceful sign.

With renewed understanding of this sacrament, we should approach it as a sacrament of the sick. And so a person growing weak with illness, an older person experiencing declining health, a shut-in, a person undergoing serious surgery, a person dealing with an emotional or mental problem should celebrate this sacrament to let them know that God loves them, is still with them and will strengthen them – in other words, to be healed by the Lord. This renewed understanding of the sacrament will give more meaning to the sick and to their families. Prayer, confession, communion, and anointing should be ready and accessible to one of the faithful who grows sick. The priest and ministers of the sick will be seen as important to strengthen the faith and trust of those who are ill. The priest should be seen as the messenger of healing peace, inspiring courage and hope in new life. The Church wishes us to see the Sacrament of the Sick as bringing us strength, peace, forgiveness of sin, and even physical health.

A person who is dying should celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, be anointed, and be given communion which is called Viaticum – “food for the journey” – a special sign of this participation in the death of the Lord and His passage to the Father.

It is good to take part in the communal anointing of the sick occasionally, not only because of the healing, forgiveness, and peace that comes with the sacrament, but also because it give each of us in the community a chance to share in the celebration of the sacrament together. It is a time when the young can share their gifts of new life, new hope with the elderly. It is a time when the elderly can share their gifts of patience, wisdom, maturity, and their love for Christ with the young. It is a time when the elderly can minister to each other through presence and mutual support and encouragement.

The Sacrament of the Sick, the Sacrament of Anointing, is a sacrament of hope, of comfort, of healing, of strengthening, and above all, is a time of faith and trust in the Risen Lord and His healing power. It is a time when we look forward in faith to our complete healing – the Resurrection.

Congratulations on your decision to enter into the Sacrament of Matrimony with your future spouse! To prepare for your marriage, you and your future spouse will meet with our pastor and be paired with a mentor couple. With a mentor couple by your side, you will encounter Christ as a couple, growin your relationship with Christ, and learn how to better serve each other and your future children!

The Eucharist is an opportunity for each of us to encounter Christ as sacrament through the reenactment of the Paschal Mystery: life, death, resurrection, ascension. “The authentic sense of the Eucharist becomes itself the school of active love for neighbor. We know that this is the true and full order of love that the Lord has taught us. The Eucharist educates us to this love in a deeper way; it shows us, in fact, what values each person, our brother or sister, has in God’s eyes, if  Christ offers Himself to each one, under the species of bread and wine. If our Eucharistic worship is authentic, it must make us grow in awareness of the dignity of each person. The awareness of the dignity becomes the deepest motive of our relationship with our neighbor.”

The ordained priest, by the sacred orders he has received forms and guides the priestly people in becoming more and more the faith-love community of the Church at the service of the Kingdom. He does this in the person of Christ by proclaiming the Word of God and by presiding as celebrant of the community in the sacramental life of His Church.

The faithful, by virtue of their baptism and confirmation, are called to exercise their common priesthood by actively participating in the communal and personal celebration of the sacraments, and through communal and personal prayer and thanksgiving, the witness of a holy life, and acts of charity.

This is most beautifully exemplified in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. “The celebrant, as minister of this sacrifice, is the authentic priest – performing – in virtue of the specific power of sacred ordination – a true and sacrificial act that bring creation back to God. Although all those who participate in the Eucharist do not confect (offer) the sacrifice as he does, they offer with him, by virtue of the common priesthood, their own spiritual sacrifices represented by the bread and wine from the moment of their presentation at the altar.” (Mystery and Worship in the Holy Eucharist.,  Pope John Paul II, par 9)

In this way the sacrament of Holy Orders is rooted in the power of our Lord Jesus Christ sharing in his office and mission of prophet, priest, and king. The priest or deacon is empowered by the Holy Spirit specifically in the Sacrament of Holy Orders to challenge and encourage the people of God to give witness to the working of the Holy Spirit within the common priesthood. Hence, the Sacrament of Holy Orders is intimately connected with the living sacrament – His Church.

The Holy Father, through apostolic succession, shares most beautifully in the priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ by forming and guiding the universal Church.

The bishops, as likened to the first apostles, share in this same priesthood by assuming the responsibility of guiding and forming the local churches.

The pastors, priests, and deacons, as likened to the first disciples, assume the responsibility of guiding and forming the community of believers in their local church.

Everyone is called for the service of others to build up the Body of Christ – His Church – by sharing in His priesthood. “For by becoming ‘children of God’ adopted daughters and sons, we also become in His likeness ‘a kingdom of priests’ and obtain a royal priesthood.” (Redemptor Hominis, Pope John Paul II, p. 80)