“The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1131).

The Sacraments of Initiation
 

• Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist: lay the foundation of every Christian life. The faithful are born anew by Baptism, strengthened by Confirmation, and receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal life.

The Sacraments of Healing
 

• The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation: CCC 1484 "Individual, integral confession and absolution remain the only ordinary way for the faithful to reconcile themselves with God and the Church, unless physical or moral impossibility excuses from this kind of confession." There are profound reasons for this. Christ is at work in each of the sacraments. He personally addresses every sinner: "My son, your sins are forgiven." He is the physician tending each one of the sick who need him to cure them. He raises them up and reintegrates them into fraternal communion. Personal confession is thus the form most expressive of reconciliation with God and with the Church.

 

• Anointing of the Sick: CCC 1499 "By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayer of the priests the whole Church commends those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save them. and indeed, she exhorts them to contribute to the good of the People of God by freely uniting themselves to the Passion and death of Christ."

The Sacraments at the Service of Communion, Holy Orders and Matrimony

Holy Orders and Matrimony are directed towards the salvation of others; if they contribute as well to personal salvation, it is through service to others that they do so. They confer a particular mission in the Church and serve to build up the People of God.
 

• Holy Orders: Bishop, Priest, and Deaconate: Sets men apart for a life of ministry in service of Christ bride, the Church.

 

• Marriage: CCC 1601 "The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament."

RCIA: Rite Christian Initiation Adult, is the process whereby a non-baptized person enters the Catholic Church. For those already Baptized but not Catholic and who want to enquire into becoming Catholic a process of faith formation is necessary.