"Sacraments celebrate God's actions in the life of the community of believers."
-from "Sharing the Light of Faith," National Catechetical Directory.
For more information about the Catholic understanding of the Sacraments, click here.
(Window at left depicts the Sacarament of Baptism)
For information about the celebrations of sacraments at St. Martin's Parish, please click on the sacraments listed on the left.
BAPTISM
Baptism is a sacrament of welcome and belonging. It is one of the Catholic Church's Sacraments of Initiation, along with Confirmation and Eucharist.
Baptism of infants and children under the age of seven is celebrated twice a month at our church as follows:
- At a scheduled Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. - in keeping with the communal nature of this Sacrament, up to five families may participate at a time. Mass is NOT celebrated with this option.
- Or at a Sunday Mass - up to two families may participate.
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 Joy Aspenall.
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.
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CONFIRMATION (High School) Confirmation preparation is part of the parish high school Youth Ministry Program. For more information, you can call Liz Schoenwetter in the Catechetical Ministry Office at 289-9608.
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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. |
EUCHARIST
- For information about First Communion, go to the Catechetical Ministry page.
- For information about Communion for the Sick and Homebound, go to the Pastoral Care page.
- For information about the parish Schedule of Masses, go to the Mass Times page.
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RECONCILIATION
- Communal Reconciliation Services are celebrated during Advent and Lent each year.
- Individual reconciliation is available each Saturday at 3:30 p.m. or by appointment.
- For infomation about First Reconciliation, go to the Catechetical Ministry page
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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.
For more information, visit our page about Marriage. |
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. |
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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