The Latin word sacramentum means “a sign of the sacred.” The sacraments are seven sacred rituals that point to presence of Jesus Christ the ultimate Sacrament, in the daily lives for Christians. They are special occasions for experiencing God’s saving presence. That’s what theologians mean when they say that sacraments are at the same time signs and instruments of God’s grace. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches that: “Sacraments are treasured signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament.”
Therefore, each of the Seven Sacraments offers specific graces that accomplish the essential and foundational action of Catholic belief central to that ritual, such as healing through the Anointing of the Sick, forgiveness through Reconciliation, and procreative love through Matrimony.
THERE ARE SEVEN SACRAMENTS:
Sacraments fall into three categories: the sacraments of initiation into the body of Christ (Church), consisting of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist; the sacraments of healing, consisting of Reconciliation and Anointing of the sick; and the sacraments of service: Holy orders and Matrimony.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Religious education is available for Parish children in K through 11th Grade. Our classes are held September through May on Sunday mornings for K through 8th. Our High School and Confirmation program is held in the same period however the time is Sunday evenings. More details can be obtained by contacting our Director of Religious Education Abbey Rosenquist: rosenquista@sfdslg.org or 262-248-8524.
BECOMING CATHOLIC – RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS
The letters “RCIA” stand for the “Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults”, the document flowing from Vatican II which guides the process by which adults are initiated into our Roman Catholic community. The RCIA is a process in which men and women are guided and cared for as they awaken in faith and are gradually introduced to the Catholic way of life.
More details can be found here.
Baptism is the primary sign of initiation into the family of God, and into the parish community. Therefore, baptisms are celebrated on weekends either at our Masses or Privately. During Mass it helps to enrich the whole Community of their own Baptismal Promises. Contact the Parish Priest through the Office to set up a Baptism for more information, see the Catechism 1213-1284.
More details can be found here.
Eucharist is so much more than the Body and Blood of Christ shared; it is a holy moment – a saving action. This includes the sharing of the Word (Liturgy of the Word), offering of prayers and keeping alive the memory of Jesus by remembering the Last Supper (Liturgy of the Eucharist), concluding with the sharing the bread and wine, consecrated into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. If you have not received your First Holy Communion and would like to please call Kelly Murphy for children or Geri Braun for adults: 262-248-8524
More details can be found here.
Every baptized person who has not received this sacrament can and should be confirmed, for Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist form a unity of sacraments that bring us into the Church. If someone has not received all three sacraments, the initiation of that person into the Church remains incomplete (CCC1306).
In the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Confirmation is celebrated in the 11th grade. Students are encouraged to attend our High School Religious Ed. Program for 3 years before the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation.
More details can be found here.
Reconciliation is celebrated in the 2nd grade. Students must attend our Religious Education Program for the year before the reception of the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
More details can be found here.
“Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. (James 5:14-16)
Requests for anointing can be made at any time through a call to the Parish Office, (262) 248-8524.
More details can be found here.
The marriage preparation process follows the guidelines set forth in The Pastoral Guidelines for Marriage Preparation by the Wisconsin Catholic Bishops Conference, and those set forth in the canons governing marriage that are contained in the Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church. Requests for Weddings can be made at any time through a call to the Parish Priest (262) 248-8524.
More details can be found here.
To receive Holy Orders worthily it is necessary to be in the state of grace, to have the necessary knowledge and a divine call to this sacred office. Christians should look upon the priests of the Church as the messengers of God and the dispensers of His mysteries. Only bishops can confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders. For more information, see the Catechism 1536-1600.
More details can be found here.
