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Sacraments

Baptism

 

In his dialogue with Nicodemus, Jesus taught that Baptism was necessary for salvation. “No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit” (Jn 3:5). After his Resurrection, Jesus met with the eleven Apostles and gave them the commission to preach the Gospel and baptize, telling them, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mk 16:16).

The word baptism in its origins is Greek and means “immersion” and “bath.” Immersion in water is a sign of death and emersion out of the water means new life. To bathe in water is also to undergo cleansing. Saint Paul sums up this truth when he says, “You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead” (Col 2:12).

The origin and foundation of Christian Baptism is Jesus. Before starting his public ministry, Jesus submitted himself to the baptism given by John the Baptist. The waters did not purify him; he cleansed the waters. “He comes to sanctify the Jordan for our sake . . . to begin a new creation through the Spirit and water” (St. Gregory Nazianzen, Liturgy of the Hours, I, 634).

Jesus’ immersion in the water is a sign for all human beings of the need to die to themselves to do God’s will. Jesus did not need to be baptized because he was totally faithful to the will of his Father and free from sin. However, he wanted to show his solidarity with human beings in order to reconcile them to the Father.

By commanding his disciples to baptize all nations, he established the means by which people would die to sin—Original and actual—and begin to live a new life with God.

—From the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults

Baptism at St. Peter’s

Baptisms are held on the second and last Sundays of the month at 1 p.m. following 11:30 a.m. Mass. To schedule a baptism, please call the parish office.

Preparation for Baptism

If this is your first child or you have not had a preparation class for the sacrament, please contact the parish office to learn when the next class will be held. This class is for both parents to understand the sacrament and preview the ritual of baptism.

Godparents

Godparents are practicing Catholics (16 or older) who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation, and are active models of Christian faith, service, and prayer. Ideally, both godparents should be Catholic. However, sometimes it is only possible to have one Catholic godparent that is acceptable.

 

Eucharist

So rich is the mystery of the Eucharist that we have a number of terms to illumine its saving grace: the Breaking of the Bread; the Lord’s Supper; the Eucharistic Assembly; the Memorial of Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection; the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Holy and Divine Liturgy; the Eucharistic Liturgy; Holy Communion; and Holy Mass (cf. CCC, nos. 1328-1332).

The use of bread and wine in worship is already found in the early history of God’s people. In the Old Testament, bread and wine are seen as gifts from God, to whom praise and thanks are given in return for these blessings and for other manifestations of his care and grace. The story of the priest Melchizedek’s offering a sacrifice of bread and wine for Abraham’s victory is an example of this (cf. Gn 14:18). The harvest of new lambs was also a time for the sacrifice of a lamb to show gratitude to God for the new flock and its contribution to the well-being of the family and tribe.

These ancient rituals were given historical meaning at the Exodus of God’s people. They were united into the Passover Meal as a sign of God’s delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, a pledge of his fidelity to his promises and eventually a sign of the coming of the Messiah and messianic times. Each family shared the lamb that had been sacrificed and the bread over which a blessing had been proclaimed. They also drank from a cup of wine over which a similar blessing had been proclaimed.

When Jesus instituted the Eucharist he gave a final meaning to the blessing of the bread and the wine and the sacrifice of the lamb. The Gospels narrate events that anticipated the Eucharist. The miracle of the loaves and fish, reported in all four Gospels, prefigured the unique abundance of the Eucharist. The miracle of changing water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana manifested the divine glory of Jesus and the heavenly wedding feast in which we share at every Eucharist.

In his dialogue with the people at Capernaum, Christ used his miracle of multiplying the loaves of bread as the occasion to describe himself as the Bread of Life: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. . . Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you” (Jn 6:51, 53).

—From the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults

First Eucharist at St. Peter’s

Preparation is generally done during the 2nd grade. Children prepare either through enrollment in St. Peter’s School or Parish School of Religion (PSR).

Reconcilation

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is an experience of the gift of God’s boundless mercy. Not only does it free us from our sins but it also challenges us to have the same kind of compassion and forgiveness for those who sin against us. We are liberated to be forgivers. We obtain new insight into the words of the Prayer of St. Francis: “It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.”

Jesus entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to the Church. The Sacrament of Penance is God’s gift to us so that any sin committed after Baptism can be forgiven. In confession we have the opportunity to repent and recover the grace of friendship with God. It is a holy moment in which we place ourselves in his presence and honestly acknowledge our sins, especially mortal sins. With absolution, we are reconciled to God and the Church. The Sacrament helps us stay close to the truth that we cannot live without God. “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). While all the Sacraments bring us an experience of the mercy that comes from Christ’s dying and rising, it is the Sacrament of Reconciliation that is the unique Sacrament of mercy.

-From the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults

Reconciliation at St. Peter’s

This sacrament is offered from 3:30-4:50 p.m. on Saturdays and 30 minutes before every Mass. 

First Reconciliation is part of the First Eucharist preparation. First Reconciliation for 2nd grade is celebrated as a Communal Penance Service in the fall; First Eucharist is celebrated in the Spring (May).

Confirmation

Confirmation, together with Baptism and Eucharist, form the Sacraments of Initiation that are all intimately connected. In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the baptized person is “sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit” and is strengthened for service to the Body of Christ.

The prophets of the Old Testament foretold that God’s Spirit would rest upon the Messiah to sustain his mission. Their prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus the Messiah was conceived by the Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus on the occasion of his baptism by John.

Jesus’ entire mission occurred in communion with the Spirit. Before he died, Jesus promised that the Spirit would be given to the Apostles and to the entire Church. After his death, he was raised by the Father in the power of the Spirit.

Those who believed in the Apostles’ preaching were baptized and received the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. The Apostles baptized believers in water and the Spirit. Then they imparted the special gift of the Spirit through the laying on of hands. “‘The imposition of hands is rightly recognized by the Catholic tradition as the origin of the sacrament of Confirmation, which in a certain way perpetuates the grace of Pentecost in the Church’” (CCC, no. 1288, citing Pope Paul VI, Divinae Consortium Naturae, no. 659).

By the second century, Confirmation was also conferred by anointing with holy oil, which came to be called sacred Chrism. “This anointing highlights the name ‘Christian,’ which means ‘anointed’ and derives from that of Christ himself whom God ‘anointed with the Holy Spirit’” (CCC, no. 1289, citing Acts 10:38). —From the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults

Confirmation at St. Peter’s

Preparation for this sacrament begins in the 7th grade with Confirmation being held in the fall of the 8th grade. Classes are held the 2nd Wednesday of the month. Call the Parish Center for information: 419-524-2572.

Matrimony

Sacred Scripture begins with the creation and union of man and woman and ends with “the wedding feast of the Lamb” (Rev 19:7, 9). Scripture often refers to marriage, its origin and purpose, the meaning God gave to it, and its renewal in the covenant made by Jesus with his Church.

God created man and woman out of love and commanded them to imitate his love in their relations with each other. Man and woman were created for each other. “It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him. . . . The two of them become one body” (Gn 2:18; 24). Woman and man are equal in human dignity, and in marriage, both are united in an unbreakable bond.

Jesus brought to full awareness the divine plan for marriage. In John’s Gospel, Christ’s first miracle occurs at the wedding in Cana. “The Church attaches great importance to Jesus’ presence at the wedding at Cana. She sees in it the confirmation of the goodness of marriage and the proclamation that thenceforth marriage will be an efficacious sign of Christ’s presence” (CCC, no. 1613).

By their marriage, the couple witnesses Christ’s spousal love for the Church. One of the Nuptial Blessings in the liturgical celebration of marriage refers to this in saying, “Father, you have made the union of man and wife so holy a mystery that it symbolizes the marriage of Christ and his Church.”

The Sacrament of Marriage is a covenant, which is more than a contract. Covenant always expresses a relationship between persons. The marriage covenant refers to the relationship between the husband and wife, a permanent union of persons capable of knowing and loving each other and God. The celebration of marriage is also a liturgical act, appropriately held in a public liturgy at church. Catholics are urged to celebrate their marriage within the Eucharistic Liturgy. —United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

For Your Marriage

ForYourMarriage.org is a website sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to help address the many needs of engaged and married couples.

 

Sacrament of Marriage at St. Peter’s Catholic Church

Sacrament of Marriage Arrangements should be made at the Parish Center at least eight months in advance of the ceremony.  Our Parish, along with the Diocese of Toledo, has established a program of marriage preparation so those couples who marry in the Church may be helped to understand the Sacrament, its vocation and its responsibilities.

“Joy-Filled Marriage” – Engaged Couples Retreat

Part of your required preparation is participation in a program commonly known as Pre-Cana Conference, Marriage Preparation, Engaged Encounter, etc. The Parishes of Resurrection, St. Mary and St. Peter sponsor local Engaged Couples Conferences. Call the Parish Center for more information. If you are unable to participate in any of the programs, contact the Family Life Department of the Diocese by calling (419) 244-6711 and ask for the people who handle the premarriage instructions.

Marriage is a serious and sacred commitment. Through it, husband and wife are called on to draw closer to God and to each other in a life-giving community of love. Christ enhanced the dignity of marriage by making the Christian marriage relationship a Sacrament – a living expression of His love for us. Marriage is also a great and marvelous adventure. It is an understanding that holds the promise of joyful years together. People enter marriage with high hopes of a beautiful future together. It is this atmosphere that brings out the best qualities of each person in marriage.

Today, more than ever, the Church has a grave responsibility to help our people enter into a marriage that gives the promise of being grace-filled, happy and successful. Our Parish, along with the Diocese of Toledo, has established a program of marriage preparation so those couples who marry in the Church may be helped to understand the Sacrament, its vocation and its responsibilities.

The following link contains the POLICIES AND GUIDELINES FOR ST. PETER’S PARISH concerning your upcoming marriage preparation and wedding. We ask you to read these pages carefully. Hopefully, you will find the answers to most of the questions you have. It is our sincere hope and prayer that your marriage preparation and marriage will be filled with the grace and spirit of God.

May the Lord bless you deeply.

Holy Orders

Those who receive the sacrament of Holy Orders — as a deacon, priest or bishop — are consecrated in Christ’s name “to feed the Church by the word and grace of God.”

If you are feeling called to a ministry of priesthood, visit ToledoPriesthood.org to learn more about becoming a priest.

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a Permanent Deacon in the church, you can learn more about the Diocese of Toledo Permanent Deaconate program.

Anointing of the Sick

The Rite of Anointing tells us there is no need to wait until a person is at the point of death to receive the Sacrament. A careful judgment about the serious nature of the illness is sufficient. The Sacrament may be repeated if the sick person recovers after the anointing but becomes ill once again, or if, during the same illness, the person’s condition becomes more serious. A person should be anointed before surgery when a dangerous illness is the reason for the intervention (cf. Rite of Anointing, Introduction, nos. 8-10).

Moreover, “old people may be anointed if they are in weak condition even though no dangerous illness is present. Sick children may be anointed if they have sufficient use of reason to be comforted by this sacrament. . . . [The faithful] should be encouraged to ask for the anointing, and, as soon as the time for the anointing comes, to receive it with faith and devotion, not misusing the sacrament by putting it off” (Rite of Anointing, nos. 11, 12, 13).

Only bishops and priests may be ministers of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. A penitential rite followed by the Liturgy of the Word opens the celebration. Scripture awakens the faith of the sick and family members and friends to pray to Christ for the strength of his Holy Spirit. The priest lays his hands on the head of the sick person. He then proceeds to anoint, with the blessed Oil of the Sick, the forehead and hands of the sick person (in the Roman Rite). He accompanies these acts with the words, “Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up” (CCC, no. 1513).

For those who are about to depart from this life, the Church offers the person Penance, Anointing of the Sick, and the Eucharist as Viaticum (food for the journey) given at the end of life. These are “the sacraments that prepare for our heavenly homeland” (cf. CCC, no. 1525). These rites are highly valued by Catholics as powerful aids to a good death. Since Holy Communion is the effective sign of Christ’s Paschal Mystery, it becomes for the recipient the opportunity to unite one’s own suffering and dying to that of Christ with the hope of life eternal with him. The special words proper to Viaticum are added: “May the Lord Jesus protect you and lead you to everlasting life. Amen.”

—United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Anointing of the Sick at St. Peter’s

An Anointing Mass is celebrated once a year, but you can be anointed at any time by contacting the Parish Center at 419-524-2572.