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.
Sacraments are classified either as Sacraments of Christian Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist), as Sacraments of Healing (Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick), or as Sacraments of Commitment (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.
“The seven sacraments touch all the stages of Christian life: they give birth and increase, healing and mission to the Christian’s life of faith. There is thus a certain resemblance between the stages of natural life and the stages of the spiritual life” (CCC1210)
According to the Second Vatican Council, “The purpose of the sacraments is to sanctify men, to build up the body of Christ, and finally, to give worship to God. Because they are signs they also instruct. They not only presuppose faith, but by words and objects they also nourish, strengthen, and express it; that is why they are called ‘sacraments of faith.’ They do indeed impart grace, but, in addition, the very act of celebrating them disposes the faithful most effectively to receive this grace in a fruitful manner, to worship God duly, and to practice charity” (Sacred Constitution on the Liturgy, 59).
The seven sacraments are God’s gift to each us. They allow us to grow closer to him and to deepen our faith and commitment to the Church.
For more information on each of the Seven Sacraments or to find out how we Celebrate these Sacraments in the Catholic Parish of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, please read the relevant section below:
BAPTISM
The sacrament of Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as children of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in its mission: “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word.”
The Greek word baptizein means to plunge or to immerse, and whether we are literally immersed in water or the water is poured upon us, the water symbolizes the burial with Christ of the catechumen. “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” (Romans 5:3-4).
Baptism is a time of great joy and celebration for parents, family members and the parish. It is the first sacrament of initiation, the beginning of a lifelong journey in knowing, loving and serving Jesus. Our journey always begins with an invitation, a call from God through the Christian community to live the Gospel as committed disciples of Christ. We accept the invitation, that call and response are ritualized and made visual and “real” for us in celebration of Baptism. It is the Church’s way of celebrating and enacting the embrace of God who first loved us from the moment of conception. Baptism is the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit and our acceptance of that transforming love.
A godparent serves a special role for one to be baptized and should be chosen carefully and with concern for the spiritual life of the one being baptized. They are significant supporters and the ones who can first begin to reveal to their godchild the value of the Christian community. Only one godparent is necessary, although both a godfather and godmother are preferred. According to Church law it is not permitted to have either two males or two females as godparents. Church law insists that the godparent be at least 16 years old, fully initiated in the Catholic Church (having received Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation). They must be a member in good standing of the Catholic Church, lead a life in harmony with the faith and the role to be undertaken, and be someone other than the legal parents. Sponsors certificates are required from the Church of the godparents (if they are not members of this parish) before they can accept the privilege of being a godparent. The certificate must be received by the Parish Priest before the date of Baptism.
Baptisms take place during one of the Sunday Masses when the whole community is gathered in celebration of God’s gifts to us of life and love.
If you would like to have your child baptised, or if you yourself would like to be baptised, please speak to the Parish Priest, Fr Pádraig, who will provide you with an application form and invite you for a meeting to discuss what happens next.
CONFIRMATION
The Sacrament of Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace and through the gifts of the Holy Spirit helps us grow to Christian maturity: Holy Baptism is the first sacrament of initiation, and Confirmation is the second. By Confirmation the baptized are more perfectly bound to the Lord Jesus and His Church, and they are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses of Christ and of the truth of His Gospel.
It roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry, “Abba! Father” It unites us more firmly to Christ. It increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us. It strengthens our bond with the Church
Origins
On several occasions in His preaching, the Lord Jesus promised an outpouring of God the Holy Spirit on His disciples, and this promise was fulfilled first on the Day of Resurrection and then more strikingly at Pentecost. St. Peter declared this outpouring of the Holy Spirit to be the sign of the messianic age. From that time on and in fulfillment of Christ’s command, the Apostles imparted to the newly baptized by the laying on of hands the gift of the Holy Spirit to complete the grace of Baptism.
The imposition of hands, therefore, is the origin of the sacrament of Confirmation which perpetuates the grace of Pentecost in the Church. Very early in the Church’s life this apostolic laying on of hands was accompanied by an anointing with perfumed oil called sacred chrism, the better to signify the gift of the Holy Spirit Who anointed the Lord Jesus at His own Baptism. This anointing highlights the name “Christian,” which derives from the sacred title of Messiah (or Christ from the Greek translation), meaning “the Anointed One.”
Confirmation at Our Lady, Star of the Sea
The Confirmation Preparation Programme is open to any baptised person over the age of 13 and usually runs from September until the Season of Easter, during which the Sacrament is conferred by the Diocesan Bishop. For non-baptised adults who wish to become a member of the Church or for those who have been baptised into one of the Christian Denominations but who wish to become a Catholic we offer a program of initiation which is run acoridning to the needs of the parish please speak to the Parish Priest, Fr Pádraig, who will advise you on the best way forward.
All Catholic Christians should receive the Sacrament of Confirmation to complete their communion with Christ and be marked by the perfection of the baptismal priesthood of the faithful in order to proclaim more boldly and publicly that Jesus Christ is Lord.
EUCHARIST
First Holy Communion
The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life and completes Christian initiation. The other sacraments and ecclesiastical ministries are bound up with and oriented to it. In brief, the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith: our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking. The Eucharist, 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 is nourished by Jesus to seek God’s Will.
At the heart of the Holy Eucharist are the bread and wine that, by the words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, truly and substantially become the Body and Blood of the risen and glorified Lord Jesus. In the Old Covenant bread and wine were offered in sacrifice among the first fruits of the earth as a sign of gratitude to God, but they also received a new meaning by the Exodus of Israel from slavery in Egypt.
The unleavened bread of Passover recalls the haste of departure on pilgrimage to the promised land, and manna in the desert testifies that God always fulfills His promise to sustain His people. Moreover, blood is the sign of fidelity to God’s covenant with Israel and of sorrow for sins which violate God’s law.
And finally, the cup of blessing at the end of the Jewish Passover meal transforms the simple human joy in wine into a sign of God’s saving action in history: the messianic expectation of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. All of these meanings were taken up and transformed by the Lord Jesus, the true Lamb of God, when He instituted the Holy Eucharist and commanded the Church to celebrate this sacrifice until He comes again in glory.
In the other six sacraments, God gives us a gift of grace; in the Holy Mass He gives us the gift of Himself. That is why the Holy Eucharist is the Sacrament of sacraments, the Mystery of mysteries. The Lord Jesus urgently invites us to receive Him in this wondrous sacrament: “Truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53). Even as we struggle to understand this Mystery of Faith, we rejoice in this most sublime and abiding sacrifice of praise.
The doctrine of the holy Eucharist consists of that of the Eucharist sacrifice, the sacrificial meal, and the sacrificial food, or to express it otherwise, it consists of the doctrine of the Mass, of Communion, and of the Real Presence. Christ is really present in the Holy Eucharist, even when not being received. It is therefore to be honored and adored. The whole Christ is present in either kind and is received by the communicant.
For the bread and wine are transubstantiated by the ordained priest into the flesh and blood of Christ so that only the appearance of bread and wine remains. The sacrament effects union with Christ; it is nourishment for the soul, gives increase in grace and remits venial sin.
Communion to the Sick:
This very special ministry to take care of the spiritual needs of the people who are unable to come to the church. A priest or an Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister will visit the sick and take Holy Communion to those parish members who are unable to attend Mass for reason of infirmity or age.
If you know any of your relative or friend who is unable to go to church and would like to receive Holy Communion at home, please contact the parish Priest, Fr Pádraig.
RECONCILIATION
The Sacrament of Penance, also known as the Rite of Reconciliation or Confession, is the “liturgical celebration of God’s forgiveness of the sins of the penitent, who is thus reconciled with God and with the Church. The acts of the penitent – contrition, the confession of sins, and satisfaction or reparation-together with the prayer of absolution by the priest, constitute the essential elements of the Sacrament of Penance” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 980, 1422, 1440, 1448).
Through the three sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist) we receive the new life of Christ, but we carry this life in earthen vessels and remain subject to suffering, illness, and death. Moreover, this new life as a child of God can be weakened and even lost by sin. For this reason, the Lord Jesus – the divine physician of our bodies and souls – has given us two sacraments of healing: Penance and the Anointing of the Sick.
Sacred Scripture
On the Day of His Resurrection, the Lord Jesus breathed on the Apostles, giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit, and proclaimed: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:23). This gift of grace to the Apostles allows mortal, sinful men to act as God’s instruments in the forgiveness of all sins committed after Baptism, and this sacred power is exercised by bishops and priests in the Sacrament of Penance when they hear the confession of sins and pronounce
absolution for the remission of sins by the precious Blood of Jesus Christ.
The Sacrament of Penance is a sacred mystery of conversion from sin, confession of guilt, forgiveness of the wrong done, and reconciliation with Christ and His Church. All Catholics over the age of reason should come to the Sacrament of Penance at least once each year during Lent or Eastertide and as often as necessary when conscious of serious sin, and anyone conscious of grave sin should not receive Holy Communion before being reconciled to God by sacramental confession and absolution.
On the part of the sinner contrition, confession and satisfaction are required. Contrition is aversion to the sins committed. Perfect contrition remits sin even before confession if it is joined with the intention to confess. Imperfect contrition is sufficient if there is confession, and is a good and salutary thing. Confession must cover all mortal sins (Sins committed knowingly (you know it is grave sin) and willingly (with whole heart and with free consent), on grave matters, and even though you had the choice of avoiding it but you did not) committed, not confessed before. Venial sins, and sins already confessed can validly be confessed. The effect of the sacrament is reconciliation with God, that is, the remission of sins and communion with the church.
Confessions at Our Lady, Star of the Sea
Confessions take place every Saturday after the morning Mass and during Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament – usually from 9:30am, but always check the newsletter – and at any other time by making an appointment with the Parish Priest, Fr Pádraig. In preparation for the celebrations of Christmas and Easter we hold Penitential Serivces, and these will be advertised in the Newsletter as and when.
ANOINTING OF THE SICK
The Holy Scripture
“Is any among you sick? Let him call for the presbyters (priests) of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (James 5:14-15). This New Testament passage describes one of the seven sacraments: the Anointing of the Sick. This sacred anointing of the sick was instituted by Christ our Lord as a true and proper sacrament of the New Testament. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is given to all those who are seriously ill by anointing them with oil blessed by the Bishop, and it is not reserved only for those who are at the point of death. This sacred anointing can be repeated for each serious illness or for a relapse of the same illness.
The first grace of this sacrament is one of strengthening, peace and courage to overcome the difficulties that go with the condition of serious illness or the frailty of old age. This grace is a gift of the Holy Spirit, who renews trust and faith in God and strengthens against the temptations of the evil one, the temptation to discouragement and anguish in the face of death. This assistance from the Lord by the power of his Spirit is meant to lead the sick person to healing of the soul, but also of the body if such is God’s will. Furthermore, if he/she has committed sins, he/she will be forgiven. Union with the passion of Christ. By the grace of this sacrament the sick person receives the strength and the gift of a closer union to Christ’s Passion: in a certain way the sick person is consecrated to bear fruit by configuration to the Savior’s redemptive Passion. Suffering, a consequence of original sin, acquires a new meaning; it becomes a participation in the saving work of Jesus.
An ecclesial grace. The sick who receive this sacrament, by freely uniting themselves to the passion and death of Christ, contribute to the good of the People of God. By celebrating this sacrament the Church, in the communion of saints, intercedes for the benefit of the sick person, and the sick person, through the grace of this sacrament, contributes to the sanctification of the Church and to the good of all men for whom the Church suffers and offers herself through Christ to God the Father.
The grace of this sacrament unites the sick disciple more closely to the suffering of Christ, strengthens the disciple to endure their own suffering with peace and courage, and forgives any sins that were not previously forgiven in the Sacrament of Penance.
If you are a parishioner and desire to receive the Sacrament of Anointing, or if you know of any parishioner who would like to be Anointed, then please contact the Parish Priest, Fr Pádraig, as soon as possible – please do not wait until the last minute, we neither know the day nor the hour when we will be called from this world to the next.
MARRIAGE
Marriage is a “covenant or partnership of life between a man and woman, which is ordered to the well-being of the spouses and to the procreation and upbringing of children. When validly contracted between two baptized people, marriage is a sacrament” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1601).
Sacred Scripture
Sacred Scripture begins with the creation of man and woman as spouses in the image and likeness of God and concludes with a glorious vision of the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. In other words, the whole of creation and redemption is a marriage between God and His people, and for this reason St. Paul teaches that the union of husband and wife is an image or icon of the union between Christ and His Church (Eph 5:25-32). St. John tells us that the first miracle worked by the Lord Jesus was at a wedding feast (John 2:1-11), thus revealing the intimate connection between the messianic mission of Christ and the dignity of marriage, which is the one blessing of God not lost by original sin or washed away in the flood. The bond of husband and wife, however, was disfigured by sin (like everything else in nature), and requires the grace of Christ to be purified, healed, and restored to its original dignity.
Because of the weakness of human nature after sin, Moses permitted the children of Israel to repudiate the solemn covenant of marriage, but the Lord Jesus restored the original pattern of spousal love by revealing that the true bond of marriage, once begun by the mutual consent of the spouses, can never be broken in this life.
By restoring the original order of creation, Jesus was not giving us a burden too heavy to carry, because He Himself gives the strength and grace to live marriage as a permanent union by following Him in the Way of the Cross, renouncing oneself, and living for the sake of the other. The grace of sacramental marriage is a fruit of Christ’s holy Cross, the source of all Christian life.
Minister of the sacrament
Unlike the other six sacraments which are all administered by a bishop, priest, or deacon, the sacrament of matrimony is administered by the husband and wife to each other; the priest or deacon is merely the Church’s witness who blesses the union created by the exchange of consent. The marriage bond, created only by those who are truly free by God’s law to marry, is an irrevocable covenant which binds the spouses to each other for life, and the sacrament of matrimony conveys the special grace necessary to strengthen them for lifelong fidelity and growth in holiness.
Christ dwells with the spouses and gives them the grace to take up their crosses daily, to rise again after they fall, to forgive one another, to bear each other’s burdens, to be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ, and to love one another with supernatural, tender, and fruitful love.
To be married at Our Lady, Star of the Sea
You will need to give the Parish priest, Fr Pádraig, at least Six Months’ notice and you will also have to attend the Diocesan Preparation Course, ‘So Great A Mystery’, information for which can be found in the Document below:
HOLY ORDERS
Holy Orders
The Sacrament of Apostolic Ministry by which the mission entrusted by Christ to his Apostles continues to be exercised in the Church through the laying on of hands. This sacrament has three distinct degrees or ‘orders’: deacon, priest, and bishop. All three confer a permanent, sacramental character” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 536).
“The whole Church is a priestly people. Through Baptism all the faithful share in the priesthood of Christ. This participation is called the ‘common priesthood of the faithful.’ Based on this common priesthood and ordered to its service, there exists another participation in the mission of Christ: the ministry conferred by the sacrament of Holy Orders, where the task is to serve in the name and in the person of Christ the Head in the midst of the community” (Catechism, 1591).
Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the messianic mission of Christ continues in His Church until the end of time. The three degrees of this one sacrament:
- the deaconate (deacon)
- the presbyterate (priesthood)
- and the episcopate (bishop)
are a participation in the apostolic offices of teaching, sanctifying, and governing given by the Lord Jesus to the Twelve. In Roman law, the word “order” designated a group or civil body within society, and “ordination” means incorporation into an “order.”
A baptized man is ordained into one of these three Orders by a prayer of consecration and the laying on of hands by a true bishop in apostolic succession, and this liturgical action of Christ and the Church confers on the one ordained the sacred power to preach the Word of God and administer the other sacraments, according to the station of each Order.
By their consecration, bishops and priests are configured to the Lord Jesus in such a way that they can act in His Person in the sacred liturgy and stand in the Person of Christ, Head and Bridegroom of the Church. The ministerial priesthood has the task of representing Christ the Head of the Church before the whole assembly and also of acting in the name of the whole Church when offering to God the prayer of the Church. Deacons are ordained to a ministry of service, but not to the priesthood. Deacons assist bishops
and priests in the celebration of the sacred mysteries, in works of charity, in blessing marriages, in the proclamation of the Gospel, in administering baptism, and in presiding over funerals.
You feel that you might be called to serve God and His Chruch as an Ordained minister, Deacon or Priest, please speak to the Parish Priest, Fr Pádraig who will be happy to assist you in your discernment. Alternately you can visit the following websites for more information about vocations to the Deaconate and priesthood:
VOCATIONS
Prayer for those Discerning a Vocation
O Holy Spirit, Spirit of wisdom and divine love, impart Your knowledge, understanding, and counsel to youth that they may know the vocation wherein they can best serve God.
Give them courage and strength to follow God’s holy will.
Guide their uncertain steps, strengthen their resolutions, shield their chastity, fashion their minds, conquer their hearts, and lead them to the vineyards where they will labor in God’s holy service.
– Amen.
The Catholic Parish of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, Lowestoft 