We Celebrate

The seven sacraments are the powerful masterworks of God in the new and everlasting covenant (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1116).

A great urgency pervades our time, our chaotic culture touching every family. We strive to be productive and pursue happiness but can sometimes feel lost. Christ knows this, and he invites us to be refreshed by the sacramental life of St. Joseph Parish.

The seven sacraments come from Christ. In them Christ himself is at work. As Catholics, we believe that these seven sacraments are powerful mysteries that nourish, strengthen and celebrate our faith. They are a great treasure and immense gift entrusted to the Church. And they are for all Catholics who believe in and worthily seek them.

The Seven Sacraments

Baptism

Eucharist

Reconciliation

Confirmation

Marriage

Holy Orders

Anointing of the Sick

The Sacrament of Baptism

The apostles were told by Jesus, after His resurrection "to make disciples of all nations, to baptize them and teach them all that I have commanded you" (Mt. 28:19-20). Baptism is the initiation into a life of discipleship.

St. Paul in his letter to the Galatians proclaims, "all of you who were baptized in Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ" (Gal. 3:27). This new clothing is not just for outward appearances; it is a new transformation of the soul for all to see.

In Baptism we are welcomed into a sacramental unity with the Body of Christ - the Church. The whole organism of the supernatural life brings life-giving grace, the powerful gifts of the Spirit, the courage and goodness to grow in virtue (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1266).

Baptism is the first step on a lifelong journey toward holiness. In this new life, "there is no separation between faith and works in our daily response to the universal call to holiness ... the gap between faith and life must be bridged. Where this gap exists, Christians are such only in name" (Pope John Paul II, The Church in America, 26).

The Eucharist (Holy Communion)

"We must proclaim that this communion is the magnificent plan of God the Father" (Pope John Paul II, The Church in America, 33).

In the words of the Mass the priest says, "On the night he was betrayed, Jesus took bread ... " This was the night before his passion and death. In this dark hour of loneliness and abandonment, Jesus made a new and everlasting covenant with all who believe. At this moment in time, Jesus gave us "the most precious possession which the Church can have in her journey through history - the Eucharist" (Ecclesia de Eucaristia, 9). When all seemed lost and he was about to leave this earth, Jesus accepted God's will to be the sacrifice for our sins.

The Eucharistic Sacrifice is "the source and summit of the Christian life" (Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, 11). The Eucharist is the outstanding moment of encounter with the living Christ ( Pope John Paul II, The Church in America, 35). The Eucharist is an immense gift. Everyone is invited to participate actively and worthily at St. Joseph on  Sundays, Holy Days and throughout the week.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation

"Who among us has not tasted the peace that comes from living in communion with God and our brothers and sisters? There is a longing in the human heart for joy, peace and the serenity of communion. There is a corresponding ache in the human heart when that communion is lacking" (Archbishop Robert J. Carlson, Jesus Christ, the Divine Physician, 11).

Jesus always welcomed the sinner. The parable of the prodigal son illustrates the joy with which the father receives his repentant son. When the relationship with the father is restored, joy and peace enter in.

A personal encounter with Jesus in Confession restores baptismal grace and reconciles the penitent with the Church. The sacrament results in bringing peace and serenity to the individual and a revitalization of the community.

Confirmation

When our grandparents were confirmed they were told they were to become "soldiers for Christ." We may no longer prefer the military imagery, but the point remains the same. Confirmation prepares us for spiritual warfare. (Peter Kreeft, Catholic Christianity, 315).

Baptism, the Eucharist and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the "sacraments of Christian initiation." Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace. Enriched with the special strength of the Holy Spirit, the baptized are obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1285).

Throughout the centuries we see the saints doing this. Men and women, young and old, from every corner of the globe, have given witness to their faith. "In saints one thing becomes clear: those who draw near to God do not withdraw from men, but rather become truly close to them" (Pope Benedict XVI, God is Love, 42).

The Sacrament of Confirmation perpetuates the grace of Pentecost. The apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim the mighty works of God promised by Christ.

Pope Benedict ends this encyclical with the beautiful prayer to Mary who was with the apostles on Pentecost when they received the Holy Spirit: "Show us Jesus. Lead us to him. Teach us to know and love him. So that we too can become capable of true love and be fountains of living water in the midst of a thirsting world" (42).

Marriage

The love of man and woman "tends to rise 'in ecstasy' towards the Divine, to lead us beyond ourselves" (Pope Benedict XVI, God is Love, 5).

St. Joseph parish invites couples to find nourishment in their personal journey to become witnesses of holiness and charity. Where family life is strong and healthy, it helps build that "civilization of life and love" which must be everyone's aim. When the family is weak, all human relationships are exposed to instability and fragmentation (Pope John Paul II, Springtime of Evangelization, 95).

The Sacrament of Marriage is a covenant between the spouses. The consent the man and woman freely and mutually give to each other creates an eternal institution. Their love is a reflection of divine love. This love is confirmed, purified and completed in Jesus Christ, given through the Sacrament of Matrimony.

The intimate union of marriage, conjugal love involves a totality, in which all the elements of the person enter - appeal of the body and instinct, power of feeling and affectivity, aspiration of the spirit and will. A deeply personal unity demands indissolubility, faithfulness in mutual giving and openness to fertility. Children then are the supreme gift of marriage (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1638 - 1651).

Holy Orders

One of the first responsibilities of the priest is "to pray on behalf of those entrusted to him. Daily he intercedes for them before the throne of grace" (Pope John Paul II, Springtime of Evangelization, 73).

The ordained ministry makes the presence of Christ visible in the community ... in a real person, the priest. In the celebration of Mass and the consecration of bread and wine, we experience the unfolding of God's grace in our lives. It is the priest who makes this possible-the one chosen by God. "In the service of the ordained minister, it is Christ himself who is present to his Church as Head of his Body, Shepherd of his flock ... Teacher of Truth" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1548).

St. Joseph Parish enjoys the great gift of priests who help each person and every family "respond to the call to holiness and fulfill their vocation to transform the world in the spirit of the Gospel ... encouraging them to see the Gospel as the principal force for the renewal of society - the vast and complex world of politics and economics, but also the world of culture, of the sciences and the arts" (Pope John Paul II, Springtime of Evangelization, 76).

Anointing of the Sick

"The first grace of this sacrament is one of strengthening, peace and courage to overcome the difficulties that go with the condition of serious illness or the frailty of old age" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1520).

Christ's compassion toward the sick and his many healings of every kind of illness are a splendid sign that "God has visited his people" (Lk 7:16). His preferential love for the sick draws special attention to all those who suffer in body and soul. Often Jesus asked the sick to believe because he came to heal the whole person. He gave us this sacrament of comfort and hope.

The Anointing of the Sick strengthens the person against the temptation to discouragement and anguish in the face of death. United in the passion of Christ, a person who suffers participates in the saving work of Jesus. It is given to anyone suffering serious illness not just to those at the point of departing this life. The power of the sacrament is meant to heal the soul, and also the body if it is God's will.

The Second Vatican Council stated that the Anointing of the Sick no longer needed to be reserved for the dying.

Contact a priest at St. Joseph to arrange for an anointing.