Baptisms

Sacraments are signs of God's love for us. To experience God's gift in each sacrament requires faith from the person who receives the sacrament. Adults who have not been baptized and wish to become Christians are welcome to enter the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) program in which growth in faith is encouraged by prayer, worship, community life and study. This program is usually about a year long. Adults are baptized at Easter.

Adults who have been baptized and wish to become active Catholics are also usually received into the Church at Easter. The preparation program for adults already baptized will vary according to the circumstances of each person. The basic program begins in the early Fall and concludes with Easter. Any adult is welcome to participate in this program.

The Baptism of children depends on the faith of the parents or guardians of the children. The child will have to have a personal faith ultimately to benefit from his Baptism, and the child's best chance to grow in faith is to experience faith in the lives of his parents.

There are two steps in our program to assist parents to prepare for their child's Baptism: first, an individual meeting with the priest or deacon, and second, a group meeting with other parents to discuss the meaning of the ceremonies surrounding Baptism and the ways to help a child grown in faith.

Weddings

There is a very close connection between religious faith and marriage, and the church wants to help people have a truly happy marriage as well as the inner peace of a life of faith. A marriage has a much greater chance of success if both partners have a strong religious faith, and a strong marriage is a great help for continued growth in faith. Consequently the marriage preparation program includes both religious formation and specifically marriage concerns. If either of the engaged parties is not a practicing Catholic, study of religion will be necessary. There are four parts to the specific marriage preparation; establish each person's freedom to marry, evaluation of the couple's self-understanding and patterns of communication, participation in a study of the requirements and reality of marriage, and finally planning the wedding ceremony. Arrangements must be made at least six months prior to the wedding.

Deaths and Funerals

At the time of death our parish will be there for you. No matter when a person dies please call the rectory; someone from the parish will come to be with you. Also call the rectory if it looks as though someone may die soon. Other things on the schedule will be rearranged as necessary to accommodate the funeral and the needs of the family. We will welcome your wishes regarding Bible readings, prayers and music for the funeral. The family of the deceased also has a choice with regard to the kind of wake service - you can have a Bible service of readings and psalms or the Rosary.

Funeral services on school days are usually scheduled for 11:30 am in order to provide the opportunity for the family to have a luncheon in Murphy Hall. The ladies of the P.C.C.W. prepare and serve the food.