PARISH SACRAMENTAL CELEBRATIONS
CONFIRMATION (Youth) Bishop Patrick McGrath has granted permission for our parish to modify the ages (14 - 18) when the Sacrament of Confirmation can be conferred upon the youth of our parish. Destination Confirmation is St. Martin of Tours' self-paced Confirmation preparation process. It's a holistic and representative view of the Universal Church where students live their faith while preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. For more information, you can call the Catechetical Office at 289-9608 or email Liz Schoenwetter, the parish Director of Catechetical Ministry. (For Adult Confirmation, see below) |
BAPTISM (infants) Baptism of infants and children under the age of seven is celebrated twice a month at our church at our regularly scheduled weekend Masses. Parents are required to attend a preparation session before the baptism of their child. For more information, contact the Catechetical Ministry Office at 289-9608 or email them at catecheticalministry@stmartin.org BAPTISM of ADULTS and CHILDREN over the age of 7 is coordinated through the R.C.I.A. Unbaptised adults and children who complete this process will celebrate the three sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. We warmly welcome all those inquiring about becoming Catholic. For more information, please contact Joy Aspenall in the Catechetical Office listed above. |
CONFIRMATION (Adults) This process is for those over 18 years old, no longer in High School, who have been baptized and received Eucharist. There are 6 sessions, and Confirmation is held at the Cathedral on Pentecost Sunday. Contact Joy Aspenall in the Catechetical Office at 289-9608. |
RECONCILIATION
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MARRIAGE Couples who are planning to be married should call the rectory to make an appointment with a priest at least six months in advance of the wedding date. The rectory number is (408) 294-8953 and Holly Schoppe is our parish Wedding Coordinator. |
ANOINTING OF THE SICK When you, or someone you love, is struggling with illness or about to undergo surgery or difficult treatments, please call the Rectory (294-8953) or the Pastoral Care Office (289-9617) to request the Sacrament of Anoiniting of the Sick. For more information about this Sacrament, go to the Pastoral Care Ministry page. |
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Sacramentality
In its classical Augustinian meaning a sacrament is a visible sign of an invisible grace (namely, the divine presence). In his opening address before the second session of the Second Vatican Council in 1996, Pope Paul VI provided a more contemporary definition: "a reality imbued with the hidden presence of God." A sacramental perspective is one that "sees" the divine in the human, the infinite in the finite, the spiritual in the material, transcendent in the immanent, the eternal in the historical. For Catholicism, therefore, all reality is sacred. ....
The Catholic sacramental vision "sees" God in all things (St. Ignatius Loyola): other people, communities, movements, events, places, objects, the environment, the world at large, the whole cosmos. The visible, the tangible, the finite, the historical — all these are actual or potential carriers of the divine presence. Indeed, for Catholicism, it is only in and through these material realities that we can encounter the invisible God. The great sacrament of our encounter with God, and of God's encounter with us, is Jesus Christ. The Church, in turn, is the fundamental sacrament of our encounter with Christ, and of Christ with us. And the sacraments, in turn, are the signs and instruments by which the ecclesial encounter with Christ is expressed, celebrated, and made effective for the glory of God and the salvation of all. (pp 9-10)
(from "Catholicism," Richard P. McBrien; San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1994; ISBN 0-06-065405-8)
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