Sacraments

The Sacraments are visible rites seen as channels of God's grace, instituted by Jesus Christ to sanctify believers. 


Sacraments of Healing

These sacraments are focused on restoring the spiritual and physical well-being of the Christian who has fallen into sin or been affected by illness.


  • Penance and Reconciliation (Confession):
  • Explanation: This sacrament provides an opportunity for Catholics to confess the sins they have committed after Baptism and receive God's pardon. It reconciles the sinner not only with God but also with the Church community wounded by the sin.
  • Essential Rite: The penitent's contrition, confession of sins, and satisfaction (doing the penance), followed by the priest's prayer of absolution.
  • Effects: Forgiveness of sins; reconciliation with God and the Church; restoration of grace; peace and spiritual strength.


  • Anointing of the Sick:
  • Explanation: Administered to Christians facing serious illness, old age, or the risk of death, this sacrament confers a special grace of comfort, strength, and peace. It can also, if God wills, contribute to physical healing and provides the forgiveness of sins if the person cannot confess.
  • Essential Rite: The anointing of the sick person's forehead and hands with oil of the sick while praying for God's grace.
  • Effects: Union with Christ's Passion for the good of the Church; strength, peace, and courage to endure the suffering; forgiveness of sins; preparation for passing into eternal life.


Sacraments of Initiation

These sacraments lay the foundation for the Christian life, incorporating the believer into the Church and calling them to discipleship.


  • Baptism:
  • Explanation: Baptism is the gateway to the spiritual life and to the other sacraments. It is the necessary door to salvation by which we are freed from sin, reborn as children of God, and made members of Christ and his Church.
  • Essential Rite: Immersion or pouring of water while invoking the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
  • Effects: Forgiveness of Original Sin and all personal sins; birth into new life in Christ; indelible spiritual mark (character) that seals the person to Christ.


  • Confirmation:
  • Explanation: This sacrament completes the grace received in Baptism. It gives the baptized person the fullness of the Holy Spirit to strengthen them to be a powerful and committed witness for Christ in the world, actively sharing their faith.
  • Essential Rite: The bishop (or delegated priest) anoints the forehead with sacred chrism oil, saying, "Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit."
  • Effects: A special outpouring of the Holy Spirit; binds the person more closely to the Church; imparts an indelible spiritual mark (character).


  • Eucharist (Holy Communion):
  • Explanation: The Eucharist, or Holy Mass, is the core of Catholic life, where the sacrifice of Christ is made present again. Catholics believe that the bread and wine are truly changed into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ (a change called transubstantiation). Receiving the Eucharist is spiritual nourishment for eternal life.
  • Essential Rite: The words of consecration spoken by the priest over the bread (wheat) and wine (grape).
  • Effects: Intimate union with Christ; separation from sin; strengthening of the bond with the Church; commitment to the poor.


Click here for the Sacred Heart of Jesus Baptismal Registration Form.

 Click here for the St. Wenceslaus Baptismal Registration Form.


Sacraments at the Service of Communion (Vocation)

These two sacraments are directed toward the salvation of others, building up the People of God through specific vocations in the Church.


  • Holy Orders:
  • Explanation: This is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his Apostles continues to be exercised in the Church. It ordains men to one of three orders: Bishop, Priest, or Deacon, conferring a sacred power for the service of the faithful.
  • Essential Rite: The laying on of the bishop's hands on the head of the man being ordained, followed by a solemn prayer of consecration.
  • Effects: Imparts an indelible spiritual mark (character); configuration to Christ as Priest, Teacher, and Pastor; bestowal of the grace necessary to carry out the ministerial function.



  • Matrimony (Marriage):
  • Explanation: Matrimony establishes a covenant between a baptized man and woman, directed toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring. It is a lifelong, indissoluble bond and is intended to be a sign of Christ's love for the Church.
  • Essential Rite: The free mutual consent of the spouses, expressed before the Church's minister and witnesses.
  • Effects: A permanent, unbreakable bond between the spouses; grace to strengthen their unity and to help them accept the responsibility of family life and sanctification.

 

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 Oils used during the Sacraments


Oil of the Sick (Oleum Infirmorum - OI)

  • Anointing of the Sick: Used to anoint those who are seriously ill, infirm, or elderly, to bring them the grace, strength, and comfort of Christ, and to forgive sins.

 

Oil of Catechumens (Oleum Catechumenorum - OC or OS)

  • Baptism Preparation (Catechumens): Anointing those preparing for baptism. For infants, a minor anointing often takes place before the water baptism.


Sacred Chrism (Sanctum Chrisma - SC)

  • Primary Uses:
  • Baptism: Anointing the crown of the head after the water ritual, marking the person as a member of Christ's body.
  • Confirmation (or Chrismation): Sealing the candidates with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
  • Holy Orders: Anointing the hands of newly ordained priests and the head of newly consecrated bishops.
  • Consecration: Dedicating churches, altars, and sacred vessels.