sacraments
what are sacraments?
The whole system of the seven Sacraments is the main way God transmits to us all the grace that flows from the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. The term “sacrament” is best defined as “an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace”. It has three parts:
An outward sign: Because we are humans, the Lord uses material symbols that we humans can understand and/or perceive. These are the “things” we use (water and oil, words, and gestures) to confer a sacrament.
Instituted by Christ: Jesus ‘created’ the seven sacraments by His actions during His life. After he died on the cross and ascended into heaven, that was the end to the creating of sacraments. We are not Jesus, so we can not create new sacraments.
To give grace: the essential purpose of every sacrament is to give grace. And “supernatural grace” is the very life of God that he transmits to us to enable us to live in him and be united with him.
Sacraments of Initiation
Baptism
Baptism
Baptism is the first of the Sacraments. It washes away all sin, including Original Sin, and makes us members of the family of God and his adopted sons and daughters, and heirs of his Kingdom. It establishes in his grace which we must nurture and grow into a deep personal relationship with Him all throughout our lives.
Baptisms are held on the Fourth Saturday of each month for English and Spanish. English at 11:00 am and Spanish at 12:00 pm. Parents need to be registered parishioners and must attend instruction class before the Baptism day. For English: contact Savannah DeFelice at 845-279-2021 or [email protected], Spanish: call 845-279-2021.
Contact the Parish House for more questions: 845-279-2021.
Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist is the most important of the Sacraments because by it we receive the true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. We believe with the Church for 2000 years now that since the Last Supper, the bread and wine we offer at every Mass is transformed by the words of the priest and the action of the Holy Spirit into the very Body and Blood of the Lord. The greatest privilege of every Catholic is to be able to receive Holy Communion worthily.
First Communion is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation. After the second year of sacramental preparation, and after receiving their First Reconciliation, students will receive their First Holy Communion. Students will learn that when Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples, he gave us the gift of himself through the Eucharist. They will learn that during Mass which is the celebration of the Eucharist, the Priest (through the power of the Holy Spirit) consecrates the bread and wine that becomes the Body and Blood of Christ. The students learn that they are receiving the Real Presence of Jesus Christ each time they receive the consecrated host at Mass.
Enjoy our 2015 Communion Class Video
Confirmation
Confirmation
Confirmation is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation that renews and strengthens the baptismal commitment. During the Reception of the Sacrament, the Bishop anoints each candidate with the oil called Sacred Chrism. Each candidate is sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.
The highlights of the Confirmation program are:
- EDGE nights
- XLTS
- Service Projects
- Retreat
“But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Enjoy our 2015 Confirmation Class Video:
RCIA
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
The RCIA is not a program but a sacramental process that is an integral and critical component of the large life-long process of conversion. This includes individuals who are un-baptized, baptized in other faiths, and baptized Catholics who have not received First Communion or Confirmation and wish to actively resume their conversion.
Sacraments of Healing
Confession
Confession
For those who have been baptized and given the grace of new life in Christ but who have fallen into sin once again, Jesus offers us this Sacrament of Reconciliation by which the priest, acting in the person of Christ, can forgive the sins we confess by granting sacramental absolution. The one coming to confession must be truly sorrowful for their sins, have a firm purpose of amendment, make the effort to change, and do the penance that the priest assigns. There is no sin too great that cannot be forgiven and wiped away by the mercy of God.
We are encouraged to go to the sacrament of Confession regularly in order that habits of sin do not take root and serious sin can be avoided.
First Reconciliation is one of the two Sacraments of Healing. During the second year of sacramental preparation, and having reached the age of reason (ability to distinguish right from wrong), students will come to know that sin is freely doing something that they know is wrong. They will be taught the steps of the Rite of Reconciliation. They will learn that through this sacrament they will receive God’s forgiveness of their sins. Students will learn the importance of making good moral choices and turning toward Jesus Christ and away from sin.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation (or Confession) is held at St. Lawrence O’Toole Church on Mondays and Fridays from 4:00 to 7:00 pm.
Reconciliation Resources
Examination of Conscience for:
Anointing of the Sick
Anointing of the Sick
The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is the sacrament of healing the Church uses when one is gravely ill or at the point of death in order to bring them the grace of healing both physically and spiritually. It opens the heart of the person to the will of God and strengthens them in their time of adversity and pain.
Be sure to call the parish if you have anyone seriously ill at home or in the hospital. The priests are delighted to go and administer this sacrament, hear their confession, and bring Holy Communion. For those who are chronically ill or homebound, our Eucharistic Ministers can schedule time to receive Communion at home. And our Pastoral Care Coordinator, Beatrice Jacobsen (845-661-0514) has ministers able to visit the sick to support and pray with them.
Sacraments of Vocations
Marriage
Marriage
The Sacrament of Matrimony is that sacrament by which a man and a woman are joined together in a lifelong, unbreakable, exclusive bond of love that is open to the gift of new life in children. When two people marry in the Church, they declare that they believe not only in each other but that the grace of God received in the sacrament can make their love strong and flourishing for the rest of their lives. For this reason, they come to the Church, the House of God, to ask his blessing on them.
Jesus took what had been a natural institution and elevated it to something filled with grace in order to perfect the love of man and woman and make their union a reflection of the bond between God and his people: permanent, faithful, sacrificial and life-giving.
Couples seeking to marry should contact the parish six months in advance to allow time for proper marriage preparation.
Holy Orders
Holy Orders
Holy Orders is the Sacrament of Apostolic Ministry of the Church. This sacrament was instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper to share in the work of his priesthood. The Church confers this sacrament on baptized men in three degrees: bishop, priest, and deacon. The Sacrament of Holy Orders imprints a sacramental character on the soul of the newly ordained that configures him to Christ. During the Ordination Mass, the essential rite and the most solemn and visible sign of the sacrament occurs when the Bishop lays his hands on the head of the newly ordained while silently calling forth the Holy Spirit upon each. Bishops and priests are given the sacramental power to celebrate Mass, forgive sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and administer the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. Bishops, priests, and deacons preach the Gospel and are the ordinary witnesses for the Sacraments of Baptism and Matrimony.
