The Seven Sacraments
Instituted by Christ, the Sacraments parallel the need in our daily lives for foundation, strength and healing through the grace they bring. They are organized into three main categories as outlined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Sacraments of Initiation, of Healing and of Service.
Baptism, First Sacrament of Initiation
Baptism puts us in touch with Jesus, the Word made flesh, the incarnate expression of God’s love. The Church, the body of Christ, bears new children of God through water and the Spirit. The sign of Baptism has been a key part of the Church from the beginning. Baptized and confirmed in the Spirit, we are led to the altar to celebrate the mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Thus, to be a Catholic is to be Eucharistic in who we are and in the way we live. Baptism means we are christened a priest, prophet and king as Christ was anointed, we are one with Him in the Body. Paul puts it clearly: “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me.” Gal 2:20.
From Baptism, Our lifelong call by Nicholas Lohkamp, O.F.M in Catholic Update, July 2006
English Baptismal Classes are offered on the first Monday of the month unless it is a holiday. Then the class will be the second Monday. Time is at 7 pm in the Family Life Center, room 2. Baptisms are usually celebrated on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month during the 11:00 Mass. Spanish Baptismal Classes are the 1st Sunday of the month in the Chapel Adoration Room at 1 pm. Spanish Baptisms are celebrated on the 3rd Sunday during the Spanish Mass after class attendance and verification. All Baptisms are scheduled through the Church office by Becky Roach.
First Communion - Second Sacrament of Initiation
Source and Summit of Christian Life.
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. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Article 3, 1212 1322)
The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life and was instituted by Christ Himself in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until He should come again. It is entrusted to His beloved Spouse, the Church as memorial of His death and resurrection, as a sacrament of love, a sign of unity and of our sharing with Him to form a single body. (1331) In the Eucharistic sacrifice, the whole of creation loved by God is presented to the Father through the death and resurrection of Christ. Therefore, through Christ, the Church expresses gratitude to God for all he has accomplished through creation, redemption and sanctification. It is the sacrifice of praise by which the Church sings the glory of God in the name of all creation and made possible only through Christ: He unites the faithful to His person, to His praise, and to His intercession.
As a memorial of Christ’s passover, the Eucharist is also a sacrifice, manifested by the very words of institution: “This is my body which is given up for you."
Confirmation - The full outpouring of the Holy Spirit
By the sacrament of Confirmation, the baptized are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with the special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.
1285-Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Reconciliation - A Sacrament of Healing
Through the Sacraments of Christian initiation man receives the new life of Christ which he carries within the "earthen vessel" of his humanity. Subject to suffering, sickness, temptation and death, his fragile, new life can be weakened and lost by sin.
Through the gift of Reconciliation man is once again made holy and unblemished as he seeks to prove himself in the struggle of Christian life. 1420 - Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Anointing of the Sick
Anointing of the Sick was instituted by Christ and is celebrated by the Church to offer the healing grace of God to the infirm and the aged, to remit sin and to make known the prayer solicitude of the entire Body of Christ for those beset by illness or ailment.
In the Old Testament, oil was used to fortify and make strong again. In the New Dispensation, oil continues to function as a symbol of fortification and strength - this fortification and strength are found in the paschal mystery of Christ. In this Sacrament, the priest will trace the Sign of the Cross with blessed oil on the forehead and palms of the sick person and use the Church's sacramental form. The spiritual effect of this Sacrament is the pardon of sin, the stirring of faith in God's mercy and the strength to endure suffering.
Because it is a Sacrament for the living, the Anointing of the Sick is celebrated in various places according to the ritual and appropriate liturgical directives. A priest may celebrate this Sacrament in a sick person's home, he may celebrate it with the sick whom he visits in the hospital and he may anoint inform and aged Catholics during a Mass of the Anointing of the Sick. The sacrament ought not be celebrated more than once during a time of crisis, unless the sick person's condition worsens.
When a family member or friend becomes seriously ill, please notify the parish office at (863) 294 - 3144.
Do not wait for an end of life crisis situation to develop because it may not be possible to get a message to a priest in time. It is important that the sick person be able to receive the Sacrament of Anointing while their capacity to receive the strength and blessing they offer is still present. Therefore, prompt notification is essential to provide that opportunity for a sacramental confession prior to the anointing, followed by Viaticum, the reception of Holy Communion as spiritual food for the journey to the Lord.
Did you know that the oils used for the anointing of the sick and other sacraments for the Diocese of Orlando are blessed at the yearly Chrism Mass? The oils are a mixture of olive oil and balsam (balm) and are brought to the church at the Mass of the Lord's Supper. This beautiful Mass is celebrated on Thursday during Holy Week.
1. The Oil of Catechumens is used in Baptisms, for Ordination of Priests.
2. The Holy Chrism Used for Confirmation and Baptism
3. The Oil of the Sick used for Anointing of the Sick
Did you know that our beautiful Ambrey was designed by parishioner Judy Hammen and was made with the salvaged mahogany from our pew refurbishment by parishioner Marv Duame?
Matrimony - A Vocation of Communion and Creation
In the Eucharist the memorial of the New Covenant is realized, the New Covenant in which Christ has united himself forever to the Church, his Beloved Bride for whom he gave himself up. The Marriage Covenant, by its very nature is ordered for the good of the couple and for the generation and education of children, its "supreme gift." 1660 - 1665 - Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Couples planning to be married at St. Joseph must see a priest at least 6 months prior to the planned marriage. Pre-marriage instruction is required. Please call Becky Roach in the Church office for an appointment.
Holy Orders - A Sacrament of Apostolic Ministry
In this Sacrament, within the common priesthood of all the faithful, the ministerial priest emerges for the service of all. He is the means by which Christ builds and leads his Church. He is the representative of Christ, our one True Priest, giving his life through, with, and in Christ, "in the unity of the Holy Spirit, to God the Father." Anointed in the tradition of the Old Testament by the command of Jesus in the New Testament, the powerful gift of this Sacrament strengthens him to complete this mission. A priest is ever mindful of his limitations in representing Jesus, yet like Peter, who turned away from failure, courageously continues the mission of Jesus in the world.
For further information regarding Faith Formation, Sacramental programs, or Enrichment programs, please contact Becky Roach in the Church Office. For registration, see our Faith Formation Page. Call (863) 294 - 3144