Sacraments and Preparation
Baptism Preparation | First Reconciliation | First Eucharist | Confirmation | Marriage Preparation Program | Anointing of the Sick & Ministry to the Sick | R.C.I.A.

BAPTISM PREPARATION

Our parish program is designed to support and encourage new parents in leading their child to God as they grow in the Catholic Christian life. The program involves discussion, reflection, and prayer. Parents are encouraged to register for the program in the first or second trimester to allow adequate time for preparation.

The preparation program is offered on the fourth Mondays of January, March, May, July, September and November, upstairs in the Religious Education Office, 121 East Water Street, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. Call the rectory for more information and to register so that information packets can be sent to you in advance of the program.

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Sacrament Calendar 2007-2008

To view the Sacrament Calendar, click here.

FIRST RECONCILIATION

In the Sacrament of Reconciliation we celebrate God's mercy and forgiveness. Preparation for this first celebration begins in the family. The children learn as they experience family members giving and receiving forgiveness in the home. The formal preparation for the Sacrament begins in first grade. The immediate preparation takes place in second grade. First Reconciliation is celebrated on several Monday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. during Advent. The sacrament is celebrated with their class. This celebration includes the children with their parents.

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FIRST EUCHARIST

First Communion celebrates the first time that this member of the Church receives the Eucharistic Body and Blood of Christ. It also celebrates the fact that this member approaches the table as an initiated member of the worshiping community. It is a celebration of incorporation.

The preparation for this sacrament begins in the family. Preparation also involves the love and help of the Christian community as the children gather to celebrate Liturgy week after week, and take part in the communal life of the assembly.

The formal preparation for first communion takes place during the first and second grade school years. Immediate preparation takes place during the second grade year.

First Eucharist is celebrated each year on the last weekend of April and the first weekend of May at the 12 noon Mass. The family may choose either of these Sundays.

"The Eucharist is the center and heart of Christian life for both the universal and local Church and for each Christian. All that belongs to Christian life leads to the Eucharistic celebration or flows from it." (National Catechetical Directory #120)

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CONFIRMATION

Confirmation is that sacrament which confirms the action of God in Baptism and is the threshold into the Eucharistic community.

Preparation for Confirmation has continued throughout the life of the candidate as he/she has grown in faith in the family and gradually become more fully incorporated into the life of the church.

Immediate preparation for Confirmation ordinarily occurs during the 8th Grade school year. It is usually celebrated in the spring of each year with the Archbishop or his representative presiding. The celebration takes place at the noon Mass.

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MARRIAGE PREPARATION PROGRAM

The Holy Angels Marriage Preparation Program helps prepare engaged couples for the commitment of the sacrament of matrimony. With the direction of the parish priest, the program uses a team of married couples, called sponsor couples, who work with the engaged couple one on one. The sponsor couples facilitate discussion about various aspects of daily married life through the use of the FOCCUS program. The engaged couples also participate in a Pre-Cana program given by the Family Life Office.

If you are interested in getting married, you should contact one of the priests or deacons at least six months prior to your proposed wedding date. No date for a wedding will be given until the engaged couple has met with the priest or deacon.

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ANOINTING OF THE SICK and COMMUNION MINISTRY TO THE SICK

Throughout the life of Jesus, we see Him ministering compassionately to the sick and those in need. Over one hundred men and women have been trained and commissioned to bring Holy Communion to the sick and those in need. Holy Communion is brought every day to Catholic patients in Wilson Memorial Hospital by our Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist. If you or a loved one is being admitted to the hospital, be sure to inform the hospital staff that you want your name on the list for pastoral visits or you could be missed. Holy Communion is distributed weekly at the four local nursing homes and twice a month to shut-ins in their own homes. If you or anyone you know is in need of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, please call the rectory.

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R.C.I.A.

The catechumenate or Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (R.C.I.A.) is the process through which the community helps interested adults hear the call of the Spirit and respond in faith. Through the R.C.I.A. the community welcomes adults to full membership in the Church. Sessions begin in late August and continue through Lent until Holy Week, culminating at the Easter Vigil Service on Holy Saturday with the celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation.

R.C.I.A. meets weekly on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in the Parish Meeting Center (117 East Water Street). Call the rectory for more information.

R.C.I.A. FOR CHILDREN OF CATECHETICAL AGE

R.C.I.A. for children is a family-centered religious formation process leading the child to full initiation into the church. It is built on the faith, prayer, and support of the individual's family and the wider family of the church into whose life the Spirit is drawing the child. It involves children in grades two through twelve. Children meet several times a month; and the families along with their children meet monthly with the coordinator. The Sunday scriptures are the source for reflection, discussion, and integration of the R.C.I.A. process for children. This process is marked by the same liturgical rites and periods of formation as the adult R.C.I.A.

The meetings begin in late fall and are held upstairs in the Office of Religious Education (121 East Water Street) on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m.

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