Join Us In Celebrating The Sacraments!
Baptism
Baptism is the first sacrament of Christian initiation. It is the sacrament that frees a person from original sin and makes that person a member of Christ and His Church. One must be baptized before sharing in any of the other sacraments.
Infants can be baptized soon after birth and anytime thereafter. At the time of Baptism, parents vow to practice their faith and provide a Catholic upbringing for the child.
Parishioners wishing to have their child baptized should contact the parish office to schedule. Parents are required to attend catechesis with the parish deacon prior to the sacrament.
Confirmation
This is the Sacrament by which, through the laying on of hands, anointing with chrism, and prayer, a baptized person is strengthened by the Holy Spirit so that he can steadfastly profess the Catholic faith.
This sacrament brings a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as it was once granted to the Apostles at Pentecost. Confirmation, like Baptism and Holy Orders, places an indelible character or mark on the human soul that God can see, which remains visible for all eternity.
Students in grades 10, 11, 12 may register for one of our Confirmation sessions. Space is limited. Please call or stop by the parish office for more information.
The Eucharist
The Sacrament of Holy Eucharist is the true body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ, who is really and substantially and sacramentally present under the appearances of bread and wine.
Christ’s sacrifice on the cross reconciled us with the Father and opened the Father’s kingdom of heaven to us.
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is celebrated daily, Monday through Thursday at the Warde Health Center Chapel at 8:30 AM, and here at Saint Matthew Church on Saturday at 4:00 PM, and Sundays at 7:30, 9:30, and 11:30 AM.
Reconciliation
The Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation (also known as the Sacrament of Penance, or Penance and Reconciliation) has three elements: conversion, confession and celebration. In it we find God's unconditional forgiveness, and as a result we are called to forgive others.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated on Saturdays from 2:30-3:30 PM in the church confessional (room to the left of the altar). First Reconciliation is celebrated with our second grade students prior to First Communion.
Anointing of the Sick
The sacrament by which Christ gives spiritual aid and strength to the sick and dying. Today we call it the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick and Dying. If it were called merely the sacrament of anointing, it might be confused with Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders, which also have a rite of anointing. The priest administers it whenever there is proximate danger of death. Catholics who believe they may be within weeks of death, Catholics preparing for surgery that requires full anesthesia, or Catholics preparing for particularly hazardous activity should seek this sacrament.
Holy Orders
The sacrament by which, through the authority of the Church, the imposition of a bishop’s hands confers on a man the grace and spiritual power to celebrate the Church’s sacraments.
There are three forms of this sacrament: diaconate (deacon), presbyterate (priest) and episcopate (bishop). One sacrament, celebrated three times with successively higher sacramental effects.
Every man in Holy Orders is either a deacon, priest or bishop.
Marriage
The sacrament by which a baptized man and woman establish between themselves a lifelong partnership for their mutual good and for the procreation and education of children.
Matrimony refers more to the relationship between husband and wife than to the ceremony, which is a wedding. The matter of this sacrament is the consent of the man and the woman, expressed externally by words and signs conferring the sacrament upon each other as witnessed by the Church.