Baptism:
The Church wishes to share the gift of being sons
and daughters of God as soon as reasonably possible. Rather than
withhold this grace until adulthood, it has been the tradition of the church
to also baptize infants. Baptism classes for the Parents are required
if it has been 3 years or longer since attending one. Godparents
should be one male catholic and one female catholic as the analogy is of
spiritual "parents." However, if necessary, one Godparent may be a
non-catholic.
One should be registered in the parish, and should contact the pastor as soon as possible to plan for baptism. For ease in planning and recording the official information, please download and fill out this Form, (you may fill it out with MS WORD and do a "save as" with your name in the file and email it to us as an attachment, or print it off and return it to the office or pick one up at the parish office.
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1st Penance:
We are called to be God's children and have been claimed for Him and by Him
in Baptism, but we often stumble and fall. The sacrament of
Reconciliation is one of the great healing sacraments that we have the
opportunity to receive time and time again. Children preparing for 1st Confession generally do so in the 2nd grade before preparing for 1st Communion. For more on our K-12 Religious ed program Please see the Religious Education page. Adults generally prepare by the RCIA process. Anyone aware of grave or serious sin (Mortal Sin) must receive this sacrament before presenting themselves to receive communion. Confessions are on Saturday at 4:15pm, 4th Sundays at 9:30am, and by appointment. |
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Confirmation: (of baptized Catholics)
Confirmation is just what it sounds like, it is a
confirming of the faith received in Baptism and a sealing in the Holy
Spirit. It is one of the 3 initiation sacraments. Our diocese
currently has the age for confirmation of baptized, catechized adults set at
the age of 16 and at least a Junior in High School. We have religious
education class from K-12 grades. For more on our religious education
program please go to the Religious Ed page. If you are an adult who
was baptized Catholic but have been away from the church, or if you are an
un-baptized adult or were baptized in another Christian Church Please go to
the RCIA section.
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1st Communion: Having been properly prepared by 1st Confession, children in the 2nd grade (roughly the age of reason) are encouraged to be prepared for receiving the Eucharist. There is formal preparation through our Religious Education Program. 1st Communion itself is often one of the Sundays immediately following Easter. If you are a baptized Catholic, but somehow have been away from the Church and never received 1st communion or Confirmation please see the RCIA section and Contact your Pastor |
R.C.I.A. (Adults wishing to become Catholic) This program is for any who wish to become a Catholic, or for any who were baptized Catholic but were never catechized or somehow drifted away from the practice of their faith. It is a process of both education and formation, growth in spiritual life and in knowledge of the Faith. It generally begins in September or October and culminates at the Easter Vigil. If you are interested in this discernment process, you should contact the pastor as soon as possible and/or fill out the registration form and email it back or return it to the church. |
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