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Baptism
We are made a New Creation! With
creation, God was building a home for His family, but they sinned
and turned away from the Father and left the home. Now, thanks to
Christ, we are allowed home again, and even allowed a share in the
divine life, something meant for us from the beginning because we
were made in His image and likeness.
By pouring water upon a person or immersing
the candidate in water, and using the words, "I baptize you
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,"
the one baptized is cleansed of original sin and (in the case
of one who has reached the age of reason) of all sin. He or she
is incorporated into Christ and made a member of His Body, the
Church; he or she is infused with sanctifying grace and receives
the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity, and the gifts
of the Holy Spirit; and this enables him to receive the other
sacraments effectively. Along with this grace, there is a sacramental
character or "seal" by which the individual is configured
to Christ, in whose image and likeness we were meant to be. From
the day of our baptism we then carry the divine life within us,
and so are called the children of God. The minister of Baptism
is ordinarily a bishop, priest or deacon, but in an emergency
anyone can baptize validly.
There is evidence from the third century that
adults changed their names in honor of the Apostles or Old Testament
figures when they were baptized. Some parents give their children
names of martyrs or Christian virtues at Baptism, although a Christian
name was not mandatory until the fourteenth century. The current
baptismal rite no longer requires a saint's name, although it
forbids any name obviously anti-Christian. Pastors shall encourage
the faithful to choose Christian names for their patron saints.
This sacrament is celebrated on Sundays at
1:00p.m. An instruction in Baptism is required for first-time
parents. To make arrangements, please call the Pastoral Center
or
Email
Us
Adults who would like to prepare to receive
Baptism, please contact the RCIA office or
Click
Here to read more about RCIA.
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Reconciliation
Reconciliation is found in the normal course
of family living, and so it is with the Family of God. Sin is
something by which we have offended someone and for which we need
to ask forgiveness. As we are all members, one of another, in
Christ, when we offend one we offend the whole Family, the Church,
as well as the Father. In the sacrament of Penance we approach
to obtain pardon by God's mercy for the offense committed against
Him and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Family, the
Church, which we have wounded by our sins and which by charity,
by example, and by prayer labor for our conversion. It is called
the sacrament of Conversion because it makes sacramentally present
Jesus' call to conversion, the first step in returning to the
Father from whom one has strayed by sin. It is also called the
sacrament of Confession, since the disclosure or confession of
sins to a priest is an essential element of this sacrament. In
a profound sense it is also a "confession" - acknowledgment
of praise - of the holiness of God and His mercy toward sinful
man. It is called the sacrament of Forgiveness, since by the priest's
sacramental absolution God grants the penitent "pardon and
peace". It is called the Sacrament of Reconciliation, because
it imparts to the sinner the love of God who reconciles: "Be
reconciled to God." He who lives by God's merciful love is
ready to respond to the Lord's call: "Go; first be reconciled
to your brother." Jesus' call to conversion and penance,
like that of the prophets before Him, does not first aim at outward
works," sackcloth and ashes, "fasting and mortification,
but at the conversion of the heart, interior conversion.
Confessions are Saturdays, 3:00-3:45; or by
private appointment. You may contact the Pastoral Center to make
arrangements with a priest. Special schedule for holiday seasons
will be posted as they are available.
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Communion
The Bridegroom gives Himself to His Bride,
the Church, and the two become one flesh in Christ. The Eucharist
is the source and summit of the Christian life and reveals to
us the true dignity we have, as St. Augustine said, "Receive
that which you are." Those who have been raised to the dignity
of the royal priesthood by Baptism, when they have come of age,
participate with the whole community in the Lord's own sacrifice
by means of the Eucharist. "At the Last Supper on the night
He was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice
of His Body and Blood. This He did in order to perpetuate the
sacrifice of the cross through the ages until He should come again,
and so to entrust to His beloved spouse, the Church, a memorial
of His death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of
unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet in which Christ is
consumed, the mind is filled with grace, a pledge of future glory
is given to us."
To arrange for a Mass to be said for a special
intention, contact the
Pastoral
Center.
Information to prepare to receive First
Communion is available with the Religious Ed. Office for children,
or the RCIA for adults.
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Confirmation
The Sacrament of Confirmation was instituted
by Christ in promising to send the Holy Spirit. We find this fulfilled
in the Pentecost event when, after Peter proclaims the basic Gospel
message, the people who are moved by it ask, "What shall
we do?" Peter responds, "Repent and be baptized every
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your
sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit"
This suggests a twofold aspect of Christian
Initiation - Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and the Spirit
given in Confirmation. In Acts 8 and 19, we have scriptural witness
to a rite after Baptism, the laying on of hands, which imparts
the Holy Spirit.
Confirmation is the full outpouring of the
Holy Spirit as once granted to the Apostles on the day of Pentecost.
We are an Apostolic Church growing in time from the Apostles themselves
to the apostles of the present.
Like Baptism, which it completes, Confirmation
is given only once, for it too imprints on the soul an indelible
spiritual mark, the "character," which is the sign that
Jesus Christ has marked a Christian with the seal of the Holy
Spirit by clothing him with power from on high so that he may
be his witness.
Information to prepare to receive Confirmation
is available with the Religious Ed. Office for children, or the
RCIA for adults.
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Matrimony
The mystery of God's love for His people is
made manifest in the Sacrament of Marriage. Marriage itself is
the closest we can come to express the intimacy that God wants
with His people, the intimacy we see in the Eucharist where we
are one body in Christ, united in His flesh. Marriage comes into
being when the spouses express their consent to one another. The
Scriptural account states that the man and woman become one flesh.
The "one flesh" union is a covenant formula that refers
not to the physical joining of the spouses but to the total human
joining that comes about in marriage. This total relationship
entails the giving of one spouse to the other for the purpose
of aiding in the well being of each other. The spouses are ministers
of grace for each other for their lives. This highest form of
gift requires that the spouses be totally faithful to each other,
a fidelity that is grounded in a special kind of love, referred
to by St. Augustine as conjugal charity.
Couples who are planning
to be married at St. Catherine of Siena are asked to call the
Pastoral Center at least 8 months before the wedding date.
Have you
heard of Natural Family Planning?
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Anointing of the
Sick
Illness and suffering have always been among
the gravest problems confronted in human life. In illness, man
experiences his powerlessness, his limitations, and his finitude.
Every illness can make us glimpse death. Illness can lead to anguish,
self-absorption, sometimes-even despair and revolt against God.
It can also make a person more mature, helping him discern in
his life what is not essential so that he can turn toward that
which is. Very often illness provokes a search for God and a return
to Him. The Church believes and confesses that among the seven
sacraments there is one especially intended to strengthen those
who are being tried by illness, the Anointing of The Sick was
instituted by Christ our Lord as a true and proper sacrament of
the New Testament. It is alluded to indeed by Mark, but is recommended
to the faithful and promulgated by James the Apostle and brother
of the Lord. Over the centuries the Anointing of the Sick was
conferred more and more exclusively on those at the point of death.
Because of this it received the name "Extreme Unction".
Notwithstanding this evolution the liturgy has never failed to
beg the Lord that the sick person may recover his health if it
would be conducive to his salvation.
If you or someone you know will be hospitalized
or is in a nursing home or is homebound, please call the Pastoral
Center to make an arrangement for a
pastoral
visit.
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RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation
of Adults)
R.C.I.A.is the process by which adults become
members of the Catholic Christian community. It is for any adult
who would like to become a member of the Catholic Church who is...
- Non-baptized (catechumen)
- Baptized in another Christian tradition
(candidate)
- Baptized as Catholic but not catechized
(not prepared for Confirmation & Eucharist.)
Is this something new in the Church?
In the early centuries of the Christian Church,
persons became Christian by living the life of a Christian.
Under the sponsorship of other Christians, they experienced
the life of Christ by growing in faith and living the commitment
of charity and justice as they adopted the moral code in their
every day conduct. In the course of the centuries, this preparation
became more catechetical and conducted primarily by clergy;
the one-on-one catechism approach known as "convert"
instructions. In 1972, the Church restored the ancient catechumenate
as a norm. The American bishops on September 1, 1988, established
it as the normal way for the baptism of adults in this country.
Is it a program or a process?
The RCIA is not a program (in the sense of
a developmental academic curriculum within the framework of
a school year.) The RCIA is a process. The Christian community
invites the candidates/catechumens to share within themselves
the life of Christ and his body which is the Church, the people
of God. It cannot be programmed any more than the growing love
relationship between a couple preparing for marriage. But like
that analogy, there are significant moments of expectation and
demonstration...yet always flexible and personal.
The RCIA is a process because it is a journey
of faith toward the goal which is life with God in Jesus and
the Spirit, whose kingdom is in our midst.
What are the stages of the RCIA?
- Inquiry - A time of seeking, a period
of several weeks of small group meetings. In these sessions
which are informal and usually in a home, the inquierers and
Catholics both share their own experiences of God, and listen
to each other. This is the opportunity to ask the many questions
people have about the Catholic Church and to also get an overview
of Catholic belief.
- Catechumenate - Unbaptized adults
are received by the Church as catechumens, baptized adults are
called candidates. During the period of the Catechumenate, both
catechumens and candidates meet each Sunday to celebrate with
the community the liturgy of the Word, and then to reflect on
that word with catechists and others. During this time, they
grow in the life of faith, of charity, and of prayer. A sponsor
is selected for each catechumen and candidate. This person acts
as a guide, companion, and friend along the journey.
- Purification and Enlightenment -
The time of preparation is normally the period of Lent, the
six weeks prior to Easter for those catechumens and candidates
who are ready for the "sacraments of initiation."
The unbaptized become full members of the Church through their
reception of these initiation sacraments, Baptism, Confirmation,
and the Eucharist.
- Mystagogy - During the next seven weeks after
Easter, all these new members of the community, reflect on their
experience of the sacraments, celebrate their journey, and
commit themselves to service with the People of God.
If you are interested in becoming Catholic
or if you think you might be interested
Please call the parish office at (203)377-3133
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