Sacramental preparation
Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word."
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1213
Each family asking for the baptism of their baby or child is asked to attend a baptism preparation evening. Please contact Fr Graham to make appropriate arrangements.
THE SACRAMENT OF FIRST RECONCILIATION & HOLY COMMUNION
If your child is aged 7 or above you can sign up for the children's parish sacramental preparation programme for the sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. Please note that you as the parent will be required to attend sessions with your child. The lead catechist is Alison Wickham and you can find details of the programme at the back of the church with Alison's contact details. The course starts mid November and runs through to June, meeting for approximately an hour a week, except holiday and break times.
THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION
Confirmation is a Sacrament of Initiation into the Christian faith. If you are (or have a child who is) about to go into school year 8, this is the year for preparing Confirmation.
This youtube clip for teens is great as a way of understanding this sacrament as one which is life changing: http://youtu.be/BJFNH2hVGz8
We received the Holy Spirit in Baptism. In Confirmation, we are sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, anointed with the oil of Chrism by a Bishop, choose a new strengthened identity by choosing a new name, chosen from the Saints, and we receive Gifts of the Holy Spirit, all so very necessary for modern life.
The gifts of Wisdom - a light that helps you make choices based on God's perspective and the needs of others; Knowledge - a gift to help you look at the world in a new way, through the eyes of Christ; Understanding - a gift to help you see the plan God has for your life, your vocation; Piety - a gift which helps you treat the Lord and His Church with respect and develop a deep awareness of your part in being creators of peace in all aspects of our lives; Fortitude - a gift which strengthens you to be able to deal with peer, cultural and media pressure; Counsel - a gift which helps you develop a deep desire to seek the Lord's help to guide the path of your life; Fear of the Lord - a gift that will help you develop a sense of wonder and awe for the Creator of the Universe. Through proper preparation for this sacrament, these gifts will bear fruit.
There are often older teens who have not received this sacrament but wish to. That is no problem at all - please contact the Confirmation catechist Mrs Teresa Kehoe.
If you are an adult needing Confirmation, please contact the RCIA catechist, John Lally, as your preparation will be within the RCIA process (Rite of Christian Preparation of Adults).
THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY
St Paul said: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church.... This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the Church" ( Eph 5:25, 32).
The marriage covenant, by which a man and a woman form with each other an intimate communion of life and love, has been founded and endowed with its own special laws by the Creator. By its very nature it is ordered to the good of the couple, as well as to the generation and education of children. Christ the Lord raised marriage between the baptized to the dignity of a sacrament.
The sacrament of Matrimony signifies the union of Christ and the Church. It gives spouses the grace to love each other with the love with which Christ has loved his Church; the grace of the sacrament thus perfects the human love of the spouses, strengthens their indissoluble unity, and sanctifies them on the way to eternal life.
Marriage is based on the consent of the contracting parties, that is, on their will to give themselves, each to the other, mutually and definitively, in order to live a covenant of faithful and fruitful love.
Since marriage establishes the couple in a public state of life in the Church, it is fitting that its celebration be public, in the framework of a liturgical celebration, before the priest (or a witness authorized by the Church), the witnesses, and the assembly of the faithful.
Unity, indissolubility, and openness to fertility are essential to marriage. Polygamy is incompatible with the unity of marriage; divorce separates what God has joined together; the refusal of fertility turns married life away from its "supreme gift," the child (GS 50)
The remarriage of persons divorced from a living, lawful spouse contravenes the plan and law of God as taught by Christ. They are not separated from the Church, but they cannot receive Eucharistic communion. They will lead Christian lives especially by educating their children in the faith.
The Christian home is the place where children receive the first proclamation of the faith. For this reason the family home is rightly called "the domestic church," a community of grace and prayer, a school of human virtues and of Christian charity.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1659-1666
For Marriage Preparation please contact the Parish Priest.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1213
Each family asking for the baptism of their baby or child is asked to attend a baptism preparation evening. Please contact Fr Graham to make appropriate arrangements.
THE SACRAMENT OF FIRST RECONCILIATION & HOLY COMMUNION
If your child is aged 7 or above you can sign up for the children's parish sacramental preparation programme for the sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. Please note that you as the parent will be required to attend sessions with your child. The lead catechist is Alison Wickham and you can find details of the programme at the back of the church with Alison's contact details. The course starts mid November and runs through to June, meeting for approximately an hour a week, except holiday and break times.
THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION
Confirmation is a Sacrament of Initiation into the Christian faith. If you are (or have a child who is) about to go into school year 8, this is the year for preparing Confirmation.
This youtube clip for teens is great as a way of understanding this sacrament as one which is life changing: http://youtu.be/BJFNH2hVGz8
We received the Holy Spirit in Baptism. In Confirmation, we are sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, anointed with the oil of Chrism by a Bishop, choose a new strengthened identity by choosing a new name, chosen from the Saints, and we receive Gifts of the Holy Spirit, all so very necessary for modern life.
The gifts of Wisdom - a light that helps you make choices based on God's perspective and the needs of others; Knowledge - a gift to help you look at the world in a new way, through the eyes of Christ; Understanding - a gift to help you see the plan God has for your life, your vocation; Piety - a gift which helps you treat the Lord and His Church with respect and develop a deep awareness of your part in being creators of peace in all aspects of our lives; Fortitude - a gift which strengthens you to be able to deal with peer, cultural and media pressure; Counsel - a gift which helps you develop a deep desire to seek the Lord's help to guide the path of your life; Fear of the Lord - a gift that will help you develop a sense of wonder and awe for the Creator of the Universe. Through proper preparation for this sacrament, these gifts will bear fruit.
There are often older teens who have not received this sacrament but wish to. That is no problem at all - please contact the Confirmation catechist Mrs Teresa Kehoe.
If you are an adult needing Confirmation, please contact the RCIA catechist, John Lally, as your preparation will be within the RCIA process (Rite of Christian Preparation of Adults).
THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY
St Paul said: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church.... This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the Church" ( Eph 5:25, 32).
The marriage covenant, by which a man and a woman form with each other an intimate communion of life and love, has been founded and endowed with its own special laws by the Creator. By its very nature it is ordered to the good of the couple, as well as to the generation and education of children. Christ the Lord raised marriage between the baptized to the dignity of a sacrament.
The sacrament of Matrimony signifies the union of Christ and the Church. It gives spouses the grace to love each other with the love with which Christ has loved his Church; the grace of the sacrament thus perfects the human love of the spouses, strengthens their indissoluble unity, and sanctifies them on the way to eternal life.
Marriage is based on the consent of the contracting parties, that is, on their will to give themselves, each to the other, mutually and definitively, in order to live a covenant of faithful and fruitful love.
Since marriage establishes the couple in a public state of life in the Church, it is fitting that its celebration be public, in the framework of a liturgical celebration, before the priest (or a witness authorized by the Church), the witnesses, and the assembly of the faithful.
Unity, indissolubility, and openness to fertility are essential to marriage. Polygamy is incompatible with the unity of marriage; divorce separates what God has joined together; the refusal of fertility turns married life away from its "supreme gift," the child (GS 50)
The remarriage of persons divorced from a living, lawful spouse contravenes the plan and law of God as taught by Christ. They are not separated from the Church, but they cannot receive Eucharistic communion. They will lead Christian lives especially by educating their children in the faith.
The Christian home is the place where children receive the first proclamation of the faith. For this reason the family home is rightly called "the domestic church," a community of grace and prayer, a school of human virtues and of Christian charity.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1659-1666
For Marriage Preparation please contact the Parish Priest.