-
-
Very often our fondest memories of growing up Catholic revolve around sacraments. We remember First Communion day processing into church with all of our friends, the splash of water during the Baptism of a child, the hand of our sponsor on our shoulder, as we are Confirmed and tears at a wedding or funeral Mass. Sacraments are at the heart of the Catholic way of life. A sacrament is a sacred sign by which we worship God, his love is revealed to us. His saving work accomplished in us. In the sacraments, God shows us what he does and does what he shows us. Simply put the sacraments are signs or symbols of God's love and presence enriching our faith.
The word sacrament comes from the Latin "Sacramentum", meaning "an oath of allegiance, a pledge." The sacraments are a "pledge" of our faith and of our salvation. When we celebrate the sacraments worthily and in faith, we believe that what we celebrate takes place. The sacraments are "effective signs of grace." They make present the Paschal mystery of Christ and allow us to share in it. They are signs of, and give expression to, our faith. This is what the Church means when it describes the sacraments:
"They are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the church, by which divine life is dispensed to us." —Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1131The Church, over the centuries, has come to name seven celebrations of the liturgy to be sacraments. They are Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. These sacraments are the first and fundamental prayer of the Church by which we are joined to Christ in his prayer to the Father. The preparation for sacraments is extremely important for our life-long formation in Christian life.
Do you need a Sacramental Record? To request a Baptismal Record for Confirmation or Marriage, please request one at SACRAMENTAL RECORD REQUEST. FILL OUT FORM HERE.
-
-
-
HOLY ORDERS
The Church is the Body of Christ. As such, the whole Church shares in the nature and tasks of Christ, our leader. This includes sharing in his priesthood. But beyond this "common priesthood of the faithful", there is the special or "ministerial priesthood" of Christ that certain members of the Church are called to receive through the sacrament of Holy Orders.
Each type of priesthood is a sharing in the priesthood of Christ. And both types are related to each other. But there is a basic difference between them. In the Eucharistic sacrifice, the ordained priest acts "in the person of Christ" and offers the sacrifice to God in the name of all, and the people join with the priest in that offering. The two roles of priest and people go together. Priests share in Christ's ministry by preaching his gospel, doing all in their power to bring their people to Christian maturity. They baptize, give absolution in the sacrament of penance, and act as the Church's witness in the sacraments of matrimony and anointing of the sick. Priests celebrate the Eucharist, which is "the center of the assembly of the faithful over which the priest presides". All priests are united in the single goal of building up Christ's Body. In addition to bishops and priests, deacons also have a special sharing in the sacrament of holy orders.PREPARATION FOR HOLY ORDERS
If you discern in your faith life a calling to serve the Church as a priest or a deacon, please contact a priest at the rectory to further explore the call of God in your life. You may also contact the Vocations Director of the Archdiocese of Newark at {973} 497-4365 or visit their website at http://www.rcan.org/vocations-diocesan-priesthood
-
-
-
ANOINTING OF THE SICK
In serious physical illness, you experience mortality. If you are not seriously ill, but in poor health or age, addicted to drugs or alcohol, experiencing mental difficulties you know this same experience. Because these circumstances lead you to face God in the light of your own mortality, there is something especially sacramental about the condition you are in. And so there is a formal sacrament for this sacramental situation: anointing of the sick.
Anointing does not hasten the act of death. In this sacrament, God does invite you to connect with him in light of your final meeting with him. Through this sacrament, the entire Church asks God to lighten your sufferings, forgive your sins, and bring you to eternal salvation.
You need not be on the verge of dying to receive this sacrament. This is clear from the fact that the anointing and the prayers that accompany it have as a purpose for the restoration of health. If you are in no immediate danger of death, but are sick through abuses, or aged, or mentally debilitated you can and should receive the sacrament.
Anointing of the sick helps you to share more fully in the cross of Christ. By so sharing, you contribute to the spiritual good of the whole Church. By the fact that you share more fully in the cross of Christ through anointing, you are being prepared for a fuller share in Christ's Resurrection.PREPARATION OF THE ANOINTING OF THE SICK
If you or a member of your family would like to share in the grace of this healing sacrament, simply call the rectory, and a priest would be happy to visit with the sick person and celebrate the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick as is appropriate. If your loved one is in danger of death, please call the emergency number: 908-358-7297.
We also offer a Mass of Anointing two times each year whereby we invite all those who are physically able to come to this Mass at St. Bartholomew the Apostle Church.
-
