Adult Baptism
To be a Christian is to be immersed into the divine and dynamic life of Christ and his family of disciples throughout the world.
The word baptism, literally means "immersion".
Angels or spiritual beings are not baptized. They already being immersed in eternal life.
A Christian is baptized so as to begin their new life freely cooperating with God's grace to bring about the reality of heaven on this earth - what we call The Kingdom of God.
God communicates his divine life with us through his creation in particular ways that we call "sacraments", from an ancient word which means "a sacred binding oath and word of allegiance and commitment". We express these sacraments through a particular ritual engaging the mind, body and soul.
The Sacrament of Baptism
The natural language of water speaks to us of life, growth, thirst, cleansing and even death. Through the waters of baptism God's supernatural language is communicated to us with transforming power- divine life, spiritual growth, a thirst for him, cleansing from sin, death to the old self. Through baptism, we journey with and hold onto Christ who was plunged into death and emerged from its depth and grip, victorious and triumphant.
If you seek baptism, you will be invited to prepare for this life changing sacrament.
To begin this journey for the first time, speak with any of the clergy after any of the Masses or contact us and we'll send you the details.
The Sacrament of Confession
Also called the Sacrament of Reconciliation or the Sacrament of Penance, we renew our baptism by recalling sins and failures in Christian discipleship we may have conscientiously committed. This sacrament of God's love and mercy offers us, through the Church, the personal assurance of our salvation, healing and strength to repair or make good our relationship with God, the Church and the world.
Adult Confirmation
“I’ve already been baptized but never received the Sacrament of Confirmation!”
It is typical for Catholics who entered into Baptism as children to be Confirmed in their faith and Christian witness when they are teenagers. However, when a Christian who has already received the Sacrament of Baptism in their own denomination and now seeks to enter the Catholic Church, along with baptized Catholics who never received Confirmation, special preparation for this Sacrament is offered.
In these circumstances, both baptized Catholics and baptized "becoming Catholics", share a journey together to be Confirmed in their Christian character to be witnesses to Christ in the world.
Meeting together regularly with the pastor and a team of committed parishioners, the path towards completing your full Christian initiation in the Catholic Church is traced out. It will be a path you will share with men and women seeking baptism for the first time as well as Catholics seeking deeper commitment and renewal.
The goal of this journey will take you to the yearly celebration of the Easter Vigil, the night before Easter Sunday, when the Church throughout the world anticipates the joy of Christ's resurrection and victory over death. During this event the Church baptizes, and Confirms. All those who are baptized and Confirmed complete their Christian Initiation by receiving their First Holy Communion at the Easter Vigil Celebration.
To explore how you may complete your Christian Initiation, speak with the pastor after any of the Masses or contact us and we'll send you the details.
The Sacrament of Confession
HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION
1. Find time beforehand to calmly examine your conscience. Don't do this on the spot! A printed guide is always freely available in the pamphlet rack at the back of the church or close to the "confession box".
2. Arrive on time. If there is only one priest available, he will have to leave in order to offer the Mass. So arriving in the church at the appointed time for confession will help both you and the priest to give measured time to each person before he has to leave to begin Mass on time!
3. How often should I confess my sins through this Sacrament? If you are conscious of a grave sin or live a lifestyle that would hinder you from receiving Holy Communion, it is prudent to attend to this Sacrament without unnecessary delay. The regular Christian discipline of examining our conscience should encourage us to attend to the graces of this Sacrament on a regular basis.
4. Remember that priests are mere mortals too! Pray for him. And remember, if he has been hearing individual confessions for an hour, he may need a break and breather!