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Saint Patrick Parish |
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Sacraments |
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Holy Baptism is the first sacrament. One cannot receive any other Sacrament if one is not baptized. A baptized person through his or her baptism begins the journey of faith. Baptism is a sacrament of Christian initiation that gives a person the new life of sanctifying grace. Through baptism we become children of God, members of the church and share in the promise of eternal life in heaven. The word "baptize" comes from Greek (baptizein), and means to "plunge" or "immerse." In the early church the plunge into the water symbolizes the catechumen's burial into Christ's death, from which he or she rises up by resurrection with Christ as new creature.
The Council of Trent infallibly declared that Penance is one of the Seven Sacraments, instituted by Christ. As with all the Sacraments, its primary purpose and effect is the bestowal of God's Grace, Sanctifying Grace and Sacramental Grace. It's secondary purpose is the forgiveness and absolution of sins.
The Holy Eucharist is the Sacrament in which Christ becomes and remains present with us, his people under the appearances of bread and wine. The Holy Eucharist is very rich in meaning. There are two important aspects of the Holy Eucharist, or two ways by means of which we can talk and explain the sacrament
Confirmation is the Sacrament in which the Holy Spirit is given in a special way to those already baptized in order make them strong in faith and to enable them to profess it courageously in deed and in word. We can say that Confirmation is the Sacrament of "Christian maturity." Those who received the Sacrament, by the power of the Holy Spirit which lives in them, are grown in faith and are ready for adult Christian life. During Confirmation we receive gifts of the Holy Spirit. Traditionally, we differentiate two kinds of gifts: the first kind is intended for our own sanctification, the second kind, called also "charisms," is meant for helping other people and building of a community, and sometimes has an extraordinary character.
Holy Matrimony is the sacrament by which a baptized man and woman bind themselves to live together as husband and wife for their whole life, for the propagation of the human race, and for mutual loving support. We believe that God himself instituted marriage when God made Adam and Eve. Jesus raised marriage to the dignity of a Holy Sacrament. The sacrament of marriage gives grace to the couple so they can live together, support each other and raise children. Jesus Christ becomes a part of this new union between man and women and fortifies their efforts to walk through life together, growing in mutual understanding, love, and faith. Man and woman administer the sacrament to each other by giving their consent. They make vows to each other that they will live together helping each other in good times and bad times, in health and sickness till the end of their lives. Then, the Church through her minister, a priest or deacon, blesses the union. Ordinarily, the sacrament of marriage takes place between two Catholics. Nevertheless a Catholic party can validly marry a Christian non-Catholic or a non-baptized person. In these cases, however, a Catholic party has to obtain a special permission from the Church authority called dispensation. In our Church there is no divorce. With the respect to the Church, a marriage validly contracted and consummated is dissolved only through the death of one of the partners. Divorce before the civil authority does not dissolve a marriage. However, the catholic marriage, for particular reasons, can be declared as non-existing form the beginning. This is called annulment. Once annulment is pronounced by the authority of the church, the involved parties are free to marry again in the Church.
The Priesthood is a sacrament which makes the recipient share in a special way in the Priesthood of Christ and endows him with special powers. The sacrament is also called Holy Orders The sacrament of Priesthood was instituted by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper. The first men who received the power of priesthood were apostles. After that, apostles passed on that gift to other chosen men. We believe that up to the present, there is continuity of ordination between apostles and our bishops. The celebration during which the recipient receives the sacrament of Priesthood is called ordination. It is required that all those who are to be ordained will undergo several years of studies of theology and spiritual formation. The word priest comes from Greek "presbyteros" and means one who is in a special way devoted to the service of God. Priests are the people who are devoted to the service of God and other people. Priests are given special powers through their ordination. The main one is to preside over the Eucharist and to forgive sins. Also, only priests can administer the sacrament of the anointing of the sick. In general, priests are called in a special way to look after the spiritual well being of other people and to preach the Word of God. There are three different kinds of ordained ministry, each with its own responsibilities and powers: deaconate, priesthood, and episcopacy (being a bishop). We believe that priesthood, because of its particular character, is only for people who are called by God to this ministry. If one wants to be a priest, he should "hear" God calling him to this way of life. Priesthood is a gift.
The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is the sacrament administered with Holy Oil and the prayer of the priest to give special grace and strength to the sick. This sacrament is also called Extreme Unction. The Anointing of the Sick can be received by any baptized person who is in danger of death because of sickness or old age. When the recipient of the sacrament is conscious, he or she must be in the state of grace. If not, the person should make confession. Very often the sacrament of reconciliation is bound closely to Anointing. However, if the person cannot make a confession due to his or her declining health, he or she receives pardon for all sins through the Sacrament of Anointing, presuming that the recipient has a sufficient sorrow for his or her sins. |
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