Sacraments
The Sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, through which Divine life is given. There are seven Sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony, and Holy Orders. The seven Sacraments span all stages of natural life and all important moments of the Christian life. Sacraments are classified as Christian Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist), Sacraments of Healing (Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick), and Sacraments of Service (Matrimony and Holy Orders). The Eucharist occupies a unique place as the Sacrament of Sacraments and all the other Sacraments are ordered to it as to their end. [Catechism of the Catholic Church 1994 Reference: 1131,1210,1211]
The Sacrament of Baptism is the foundation of Christian life, the entrance to the life in the Spirit and access to the other Sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from original sin, become heirs to the Kingdom of God, are incorporated into the Church and become sharers in the Mission of the Church. [Catechism of the Catholic Church 1994 Reference: 1213]Arrangements can be made by calling Mary Beth Barnes (410-355-2450). Before bringing your child to be baptized, parents need to participate in our Baptismal Preparation Session which is held the 1st Sunday of the month at 12 Noon.
Baptisms of adults are arranged through our adult education programs, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Contact the Religious Education office as noted above.
The Sacrament of Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace and through the gifts of the Holy Spirit helps us grow to Christian maturity. The Sacrament strengthens our bond with the Church, associates us more closely with her Mission and helps us bear witness to the Christian faith in words and deeds. [Catechism of the Catholic Church 1994 Reference: 1316]Confirmation is offered annually to 9th grade students. Students who request this Sacrament are prepared through a special program and must already be attending religious education classes or attending Catholic high school. For more information, please contact the parish Coordinator for Religious Education, Madeleine Hobik, or Administrative Assistant, Jennifer Gross, at (410) 355-8515.
Adults wishing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation are prepared through our parish RCIA program. Contact information as above.
The Sacrament of the Eucharist has its origin at the Last Supper when on the night Jesus was betrayed, He instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of His Body and Blood. This He did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until He comes again. In this Sacrament, Jesus entrusts to his Church a memorial of His death and Resurrection, the Sacrament of Love, a Sign of Unity and a Bond of Charity, in which Christ is consumed, and our minds are filled with grace and a pledge of future glory. The Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith through the actions of the Holy Spirit and the Real Presence of Jesus; His Body and Blood become present under the form of bread and wine. It is through the Eucharist that each of us are nourished by Jesus to seek God's Will. [Catechism of the Catholic Church 1994 Reference: 1323,1327]Children are generally prepared to receive their first Holy Communion when they reach the second grade. They are prepared through a special program and must already be attending religious education classes or attending Catholic grade school. They must have received the Sacrament of Baptism at least one year prior to First Communion. Older children may be prepared separately from the second graders. For further information, please contact the Parish Office at (410) 355-8515.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation or Penance was instituted by Jesus, the physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, His work of healing and salvation. Jesus has willed that the life and actions of his Church be a sign and instrument of forgiveness and reconciliation. [Catechism of the Catholic Church 1994 Reference: 1442]Children are generally prepared to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time when they reach the second grade. They are prepared through a special program and must already be attending religious education classes or attending Catholic grade school. Older children may be prepared separately from the second graders. For further information, please contact the Parish Office at (410) 355-8515.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered by appointment only. Parish holy hour and penance services are held during Advent and Lent and are announced in the parish bulletin. Individuals may call Fr. Rob at (410) 355-8515 to arrange for a personal appointment to celebrate the sacrament.
The Sacrament of the Anointing the Sick has as its end the conferral of a special grace on people experiencing a grave illness or old age. The Church exhorts the Christian who is ill to unite with the Passion and Death of Christ. [Catechism of the Catholic Church 1994 Reference: 1511,1499,1513]Please notify the Parish Office when a member of the parish is in the hospital or when someone is unable to attend church regularly and wishes to receive Holy Communion. Remember that the Sacrament of the Sick is now received a the beginning of a serious illness or disability.
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 perfects the human love of the spouses, strengthens their indissoluble unity, and sanctifies them on the way to eternal life. [Catechism of the Catholic Church 1994 Reference: 1661]Couples planning to be married should contact the Parish Office at least six (6) months in advance of the wedding date. Weddings may be celebrated at St. Rose of Lima or at St. Athanasius in the Main Church or the Chapel.
Through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time. The Sacrament's three degrees (Episcopate, Presbyterate, and Diaconate) are conferred as follows:For additional information on vocations, please contact the Pastor, Rev. Robert A. DiMattei, Jr, at (410) 355-8515, or call the Vocation Office of the Archdiocese of Baltimore at (410) 547-5431.
- Bishops (Episcopate) receive the fullness of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, which integrates them into the Episcopal college and makes them visible heads of the particular Church entrusted to them. As successors of the apostles and members of the college, the bishops share in the apostolic responsibility and mission of the whole Church under the authority of the Pope.
- Priests (Presbyterate) are united with the bishop in sacerdotal dignity and called to be the bishop's prudent co-workers in the exercise of their pastoral functions. They gather around their bishop who bears responsibility with them for a particular church. They receive from the bishop the charge of a parish community or determinate ecclesial office.
- Deacons (Diaconate) are ordained into the ministry of service to the Church. Deacons do not receive the ministerial priesthood, but ordination confers on them the functions of the Ministry of the Word, Divine Worship, and Service of Charity under the pastoral authority of their bishop. [Catechism of the Catholic Church 1994 Reference: 1536,1595,1596]