The Latin word sacramentum means "a sign of the sacred." The seven sacraments are ceremonies that indicate what is sacred, significant and important for Christians. They are special occasions for experiencing God's saving presence. That's what theologians mean when they say that sacraments are at the same time signs and instruments of God's grace.
If you learn more about the sacraments, you can celebrate them more fully. To learn more about the individual sacraments, please contact our parish.
The Seven Sacraments
Baptism is the first step of a lifelong journey of commitment and discipleship. You can be baptized as a child, infant or adult. It is the way of celebrating and enacting the embrace of God.
Baptism
Holy Communion is both a sacrifice and a meal. We believe in the true presence of Jesus, who died for our sins. As we receive Christ’s Body and Blood, we also become nourished spiritually and brought closer to God.
Eucharist or Holy Communion
Reconciliation
The Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation has three elements: Conversion, Confession and Celebration. In it we find God’s unconditional forgiveness; as a result we are called to forgive others.
Confirmation
Confirmation is the Catholic Sacrament of mature Christian commitment and a deepening of baptismal gifts. It’s one of the three sacraments through the initiation of Catholics. It’s often associated with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Marriage
For Catholics, the Sacrament of Marriage, or Holy Matrimony, is a public sign that one gives oneself totally to this other person. It is also a public statement about God: the loving union of husband and wife speaks of family values and also God's values.
Holy Orders
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.
Anointing of the sick
The Catholic Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, formerly known as Last Rites or Extreme Unction, is a ritual of healing appropriate not only for physical but also for mental and spiritual sickness.