Sacraments

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1213), we read: “Christ instituted the sacraments of the new law. There are seven: Baptism, Confirmation (or Chrismation), the Eucharist, Penance, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. The seven sacraments touch all the stages and all the important moments of Christian life: they give birth and increase, healing and mission to the Christian’s life of faith. There is thus certain resemblance between the stages of natural life and the stages of the spiritual life.”

What is a sacrament?

A sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give special grace. It may also be called a sacred and mysterious sign and ceremony ordained by Christ to convey grace to our souls. The Sacraments may be compared to channels which convey water from a fountain-head, and the soul to a vessel which one carries to these channels to be filled. The Passion of Christ is the rich and exhaustless source from which the grace of every Sacrament is derived; for each grace was purchased for us at the price of our Divine Redeemer’s Blood. The Church has never instituted, and could not institute, any Sacrament – this is a power reserved to God Himself.

The Seven Sacraments

Baptism

Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water and in the word.” – Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1213

Baptism is administered every Sunday, 11:30 AM.  Arrangements have to be made with the Parish Office for Baptism request at least four  weeks beforehand.


Confirmation

…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. – Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium), 11

Confirmation is scheduled annually, during the fiesta novena period. 


Holy Eucharist

At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet ‘in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.’ – Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium), 47

Masses during this pandemic are as follows:
Sundays: 6:30 AM, 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM and 5 PM
Weekdays: 6:30 AM
Saturdays: 6 PM (anticipated)


Reconciliation

Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God’s mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion. – Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium), 11

Confessions are administered after the weekday morning Masses.


Anointing of the Sick

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. – Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium), 11

Anointing of the Sick is administered upon request.


Holy Orders

Holy Orders is 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


Holy Matrimony

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. – Code of Canon Law, canon 1055 § 1

The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony is celebrated as requested by the couple.  Arrangement must be made at least three months before.

The visible reality we see in the Sacraments is their outward expression, the form they take, and the way in which they are administered and received. The invisible reality we cannot “see” is God’s grace, his gracious initiative in redeeming us through the death and Resurrection of his Son. His initiative is called grace because it is the free and loving gift by which he offers people a share in his life, and shows us his favor and will for our salvation. Our response to the grace of God’s initiative is itself a grace or gift from God by which we can imitate Christ in our daily lives.

As rituals, the sacraments provide the faithful the opportunity to touch Catholicism in an increasingly meaningful manner. In doing so, the sacraments help individuals deepen and grow in their Christian faith. Through the sacraments, God shares his holiness with us so that we, in turn, can make the world holier.