Sacraments are central for Catholics. They help us meet the incarnate Jesus, who comes to us through cleansing water and invigorating oil to welcome us, life-giving bread and wine that become Christ's Body and Blood, a hand outstretched in forgiveness, vows lovingly exchanged in marriage, a hand designating someone for ordained service and oil to strengthen the sick and comfort the dying.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "Celebrated worthily in faith, the sacraments confer the grace that they signify. They are efficacious because in them Christ himself is at work; it is he who baptises, he who acts in his sacraments in order to communicate the grace that each sacrament signifies".
As you learn more about the sacraments, you can celebrate them more fully.
The Seven Sacraments are administered through your local parish.
For Catholics, the Sacrament of Baptism is the first step in a lifelong journey of commitment and discipleship. Through baptism we are freed from the darkness of our world, we become sons and daughters of God and are embraced into the family of the Church. Baptism removes the guilt and effects of Original Sin and incorporates the baptised into the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ on earth. Catholic families are encouraged to baptize their children soon after birth, however sometimes people are baptized later, or even as adults. Whether we are baptized as infants or adults, Baptism is the Church's way of celebrating and enacting the embrace of God.
Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as children of God; we become members of the mystical body of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word."
Links:
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1213
Fr Robert Barron on The Sacrament of Baptism
Please contact your local parish for more information. Click here to find a Parish near you.
The Sacrament of Confirmation is the second of the three sacraments of initiation. Confirmation is a Catholic Sacrament of mature Christian commitment and a deepening of baptismal gifts. Confirmation perfects our baptism and brings us the graces of the Holy Spirit that were granted to the Apostles on Pentecost Sunday. It is most often associated with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The Sacrament of Confirmation completes the sacrament of Baptism. If Baptism is the sacrament of re-birth to a new and supernatural life, Confirmation is the sacrament of maturity and coming of age. Confirmation is a sacrament of empowerment. It gives the strength to follow Jesus and to become involved in the mission which Jesus left to the Church.
“I have baptised you with water; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.” – Mark 13:11
In Confirmation the Bishop seals us, the baptized, with the Gift of the Holy Spirit. This sacrament is intended to:
Links:
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1285
Bishop Barron on the Sacrament of Confirmation
Please contact your local parish for more information. Click here to find a Parish near you.
The third of the three sacraments of initiation, the Sacrament of Holy Communion is the reception of Christ's Body and Blood. This sacrament is the source of great graces that sanctify us and help us grow in the likeness of Jesus Christ. Catholics believe the Eucharist, or Communion, is both a sacrifice and a meal. We believe in the real presence of Jesus, who died for our sins. As we receive Christ's Body and Blood, we also are nourished spiritually and brought closer to God.
Our parishes offer our families sacramental preparation that prepares them for First Holy Communion. The preparation process takes place usually around seven years of age or otherwise as determined by the pastor. Whether or not their children attend a Catholic school, the parents are to register their family for the preparation at their parish.
In this sacrament we remember what Jesus did for us in his life, death and resurrection. We remember particularly the Last Supper, that final meal Jesus shared with his disciples. At that meal Jesus gave us the Eucharist so that we could remember him in a special way. When we receive Communion, we believe that we receive the person of Jesus into our very beings. We become one with him, and we become one with each other. As a community we become 'the body of Christ'.
The Sunday Eucharist (Sunday Mass) is the highpoint of our worship as a parish. Communion is taken to the sick and housebound after each Sunday Mass by Ministers of Communion.
Links:
Bishop Barron on the Real Presence of Christ in the EucharistPlease contact your local parish for more information. Click here to find a Parish near you.
Most of us would know this Sacrament as Confession, it also goes by other names: reconciliation, Sacrament of Forgiveness or Conversion. This sacrament is a sign and experience of God's unconditional forgiveness.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the most unique and beautiful aspects of Catholicism. Jesus Christ, in His abundant love and mercy, established the Sacrament of Reconciliation, so that we as sinners can obtain forgiveness for our sins and reconcile with God and the Church. The sacrament “washes us clean,” and renews us in Christ.
“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’” (John 20:21-23).
Reconciliation is a sacrament which can be celebrated repeatedly throughout one's life, and indeed Catholics are encouraged to receive this sacrament frequently. At a minimum, Catholics must make a confession of sins when they are conscious of mortal sin before the reception of Holy Communion. The precept of the Church says that Catholics ought to confess their sins in the sacrament of Confession at least once a year during the Easter Season.
Please contact your local parish for more information. Click here to find a Parish near you.
The Sacrament of Marriage is a beautiful covenant and mystery, strengthened by God’s love. God intended the relationship between a man and woman in marriage to mirror the love between Christ and His Church. Because of the sacredness of this union between husband and wife, Christ provided the Church with many graces that flow from the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, as a means of assisting husbands and wives to love each other with a deep and holy love.
It is recommended that you meet with your parish priest at least six months prior to your marriage date. Do not set a firm date for your wedding until after this initial meeting.
Pope Francis (Links):
List of tips to make a marriage workPlease contact your local parish for more information. Click here to find a Parish near you.
The Sacrament of Holy Orders is the continuation of Christ's priesthood, which He bestowed upon His Apostles; thus, the Catechism of the Catholic Church refers to the Sacrament of Holy Orders as "the sacrament of apostolic ministry." The three levels of the sacrament are the episcopate, the priesthood, and the diaconate.
In the Sacrament of Holy Orders, or Ordination, the priest being ordained vows to lead other Catholics by bringing them the sacraments (especially the Eucharist), by proclaiming the Gospel, and by providing other means to holiness.
Wonder if you have a call for the Sacrament of Holy Orders? Click here
When a Catholic is very sick, the Church anoints the person with oil in a special ritual of healing called Anointing of the Sick. Traditionally referred to as Extreme Unction or Last Rites, the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is administered both to the dying and to those who are gravely ill or are about to undergo a serious operation, for the recovery of their health and for spiritual strength. It is a ritual of healing appropriate not only for physical but also for mental and spiritual sickness.
"Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the "priests" of the church, and let them pray over him." – James 5:14
By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayer of the priests the whole Church commends those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save them and indeed she exhorts them to contribute to the good of the People of God by freely uniting themselves to the Passion and death of Christ.
In the past, this sacrament was often kept strictly for those close to death. In more recent years the Church has encouraged greater use of this sacrament for illness which is not necessarily life-threatening. As with all the sacraments, this anointing has significance for the whole Church. It reminds us of our call to wholeness and our call to be a sign of salvation to the world. Wherever there is brokenness, we are to be instruments of Christ's healing touch.
Links:
Please contact your local parish for more information. Click here to find a Parish near you.