Sacraments

The Sacramental life of our parish is our deepest expression of who we are. All sacraments are community celebrations of our encounters with the risen Lord in the most important moments of our lives.  Since sacraments are so important to us as Catholic Christians, we take them very seriously and prepare to receive them carefully.
 

The Baltimore Catechism tells us that a sacrament is an outward sign, instituted by Christ, to give grace.  What this means, essentially, is that Jesus loves us so much that He uses physical signs to communicate His love to us.  We call these signs of love the sacraments.  Jesus' love is so great that the sacraments bring about what they symbolize.  For example, in baptism we are washed with water, which symbolizes the soul being cleansed of sin; while the water is being poured over us God makes that interior cleansing happen.
 

Jesus gave the Church seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist are called the Sacraments of Initiation; Penance and Anointing of the Sick are called the sacraments of healing; and Marriage and Holy Orders are called the sacraments at the service of communion.