Faith Formation
Faith Formation is an important aspect of the Catholic Church and many parishes offer a variety of resources and programs to help parishioners grow in their faith. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) notes that Adult Faith Formation programs must engage the particular needs and interests of adults in each local community. We offer programs that offer comprehensive and systematic presentations and explorations of the core elements of Catholic faith and practice.
The Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) is the new name for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) as decided by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The name change applies both to the process by which one enters the Church and the book that contains the ritual text and prayers for those steps. OCIA is the process for adults who desire to join the Catholic faith and for those seeking more information on the Catholic Church. OCIA can also be a method for Catholics to complete their reception of the initiation sacraments.
The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church
A Few Words About The Sacraments
The sacraments are “efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us” (CCC 1131). In other words, a sacrament is a sacred and visible sign that is instituted by Jesus to give us grace, an undeserved gift from God. (See also CCC 1084). Christ was present at the inception of all of the sacraments, which He instituted 2,000 years ago. Christ is also present every time each sacrament is celebrated. The Catholic Church has all of the seven sacraments instituted by Christ, which include Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that “the seven sacraments touch all the stages and all important moments of the Christian life” (CCC 1210).
Please either email the Pastor, or call the parish office using the links below to find out how you can receive the graces of the Sacraments.
Sacraments of Christian Initiation
Baptism
Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God. If you have a child under 8 that needs baptized, then please use this link to download the form and return to the parish office.
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.
Eucharist
In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist "the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained.
Sacraments (Cont)
Sacraments of Healing
Penance and Reconciliation
Only God forgives sin. Sin is before all else an offense against God, a rupture of communion with him. At the same time it damages communion with the Church. For this reason conversion entails both God's forgiveness and reconciliation with the Church, which are expressed and accomplished liturgically by the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation.
Annointing 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. By celebrating this sacrament the Church, in the communion of saints, intercedes for the benefit of the sick person.
Sacraments (Cont)
Sacraments of Service
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.
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 (Bishop), presbyterate (Priest), and diaconate (Deacon).