Sacraments

The Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession), is offered at the church by appointment, or for a few minutes before Sunday Mass when the priest arrives from Our Lady of Lourdes. The confessional is along the back wall of the the nave.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1422):

"Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against Him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion."

If you have been recently engaged and are looking to receive the Sacrament of Marriage, congratulations! The first step to be married in the Parish is to introduce yourselves together to Father Pablo or Father Carlos before or after Sunday Mass. You will then schedule a face-to-face appointment with the priest where he will describe the necessary marriage preparation and paperwork. Usually, it takes four to six months to complete the preparation process.

If one of you has been previously married, even if outside the Catholic Church, make sure you mention it to the priest. A marriage between a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic, as well as between a Catholic and someone who is not a Christian is possible as long as the proper permission is requested.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1601- 1602):

"The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament. Sacred Scripture begins with the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God and concludes with a vision of "the wedding-feast of the Lamb." Scripture speaks throughout of marriage and its "mystery," its institution and the meaning God has given it, its origin and its end, its various realizations throughout the history of salvation, the difficulties arising from sin and its renewal "in the Lord" in the New Covenant of Christ and the Church."

The Sacrament of Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life and the gateway to life in the Spirit. If you wish to baptize your child, please contact Father Pablo or Father Carlos to set up a face-to-face meeting. It will be an opportunity for the priest to get to know your family better, review the importance of this Sacrament, and set a date for the reception of the Sacrament. If you are an adult and wish to be baptized, you may also speak to one of the priests, and they will direct you to Lori Williams who oversees our Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults in the parish.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1226-1228):

"From the very day of Pentecost the Church has celebrated and administered holy Baptism. Indeed St. Peter declares to the crowd astounded by his preaching: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." The apostles and their collaborators offer Baptism to anyone who believed in Jesus: Jews, the God-fearing, pagans. Always, Baptism is seen as connected with faith: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household," St. Paul declared to his jailer in Philippi, and the narrative continues, the jailer "was baptized at once, with all his family."

According to the Apostle Paul, the believer enters through Baptism into communion with Christ's death, is buried with Him, and rises with Him: Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. The baptized have "put on Christ." Through the Holy Spirit, Baptism is a bath that purifies, justifies, and sanctifies. Hence Baptism is a bath of water in which the "imperishable seed" of the Word of God produces its life-giving effect. St. Augustine says of Baptism: "The word is brought to the material element, and it becomes a sacrament."

The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life, for every time it is celebrated, we unite ourselves with the heavenly liturgy and anticipate eternal life. The Eucharist is celebrated at the Parish on Saturday at 5:30 PM and on Sunday at 10:30 AM. It is also celebrated on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 12:00 PM.

The young people of the parish usually receive First Communion during the 2nd grade after two years of preparation. If you wish to register your child in our Parish Religious Education Program, please call the office.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1322-1323):

"The holy Eucharist completes Christian initiation. Those who have been raised to the dignity of the royal priesthood by Baptism and configured more deeply to Christ by Confirmation participate with the whole community in the Lord's own sacrifice by means of the Eucharist. At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior 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 should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet 'in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us."

By the Sacrament of Confirmation, the baptized are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. They are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.

The young people of the parish are usually confirmed during the 8th grade after two years of preparation. If you wish to register your child in our Parish Religious Education Program, please call the office.

If you are an adult and wish to be Confirmed, you may also speak to one of the priests, and they will then guide you to Lori Williams who oversees our Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) in the parish.

Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time: thus it is the sacrament of apostolic ministry. It includes three degrees: episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate.

If you are a single, Catholic man with questions or with a curiosity about the Priesthood, make sure you speak with Father Pablo and Father Carlos. Either priest will be able to guide you and give you good tools so you can properly learn more and properly discern God’s will in your life.

When a member of the faithful is preparing for serious surgery, is sick, or close to death, the priest is available to pray with the person and his or her family. If you need to reach a priest urgently, please call 912-964-0219. Father Pablo or Father Carlos will be able to visit you or your loved one at home, the nursing home or the hospital and administer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1499):

"By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayer of the priests the whole Church commends those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save them. and indeed she exhorts them to contribute to the good of the People of God by freely uniting themselves to the Passion and death of Christ."