Sacraments

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

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What are Sacraments and Sacramentals?


We recognize that the Sacraments have a visible and invisible reality, a reality open to all the human senses but grasped in its God-given depths with the eyes of faith. When parents hug their children, for example, the visible reality we see is the hug. The invisible reality the hug conveys is love. We cannot “see” the love the hug expresses, though sometimes we can see its nurturing effect in the child.

The visible reality we see in the Sacraments is their outward expression, the form they take, and the way in which they are administered and received. The invisible reality we cannot “see” is God’s grace, his gracious initiative in redeeming us through the death and Resurrection of his Son. His initiative is called grace because it is the free and loving gift by which he offers people a share in his life, and shows us his favor and will for our salvation. Our response to the grace of God’s initiative is itself a grace or gift from God by which we can imitate Christ in our daily lives.


The saving words and deeds of Jesus Christ are the foundation of what he would communicate in the Sacraments through the ministers of the Church. Guided by the Holy Spirit, the Church recognizes the existence of Seven Sacraments instituted by the Lord. They are the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist), the Sacraments of Healing (Penance and the Anointing of the Sick), and the Sacraments at the Service of Communion (Marriage and Holy Orders). Through the Sacraments, God shares his holiness with us so that we, in turn, can make the world holier.


(Source: https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/sacraments-and-sacramentals)


Sacraments of Initiation


  • Baptism 
    the incorporation of a new member into Christ and into his body which is the Church.
  • Confirmation 
    the perfection of the baptismal character and strengthening of ecclesial belonging and of apostolic maturity.
  • Eucharist 
    source and culmination of the Christian life, enables our parishes to be Eucharistic communities that sacra- mentally live the encounter with Christ the Savior.



Sacraments of Healing


  • Penance and Reconciliation 
    the conversion that we all need to turn away from sin, and to embrace our baptismal commitments.
  • Anointing of the Sick 
    the evangelical sense of community members who are seriously ill or in danger of death.



Sacraments of Service


  • Matrimony 
    love of spouses which as God’s grace germinates and grows to maturity making effective in daily life the complete self-giving that they made mutually in marrying.
  • Holy Orders 
    the gift of the apostolic ministry which continues to be exercised in the Church for the pastoral care of all the faithful.



Please click on the following links to learn more about the Sacraments:


USCCB on Sacraments and Sacramentals

Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism | Confirmation | Eucharist

Sacraments of Healing: Penance and Reconciliation | Anointing of the Sick

SACRAMENTS OF SERVICE: Matrimony | Holy Orders


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