St. MARY CHURCH

About the Sacraments

A resource for the rites of Catholic practice and their Restored Order.
Reach out to Stacey Cooper-Jennings (MaryEd@stmnh.org) for information & registration.


BAPTISM | RECONCILIATION | CONFIRMATION/COMMUNION | MARRIAGE | ANOINTING OF THE SICK | HOLY ORDERS | RCIA

The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions.  (Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), 1131)
 

Christ instituted the sacraments of the new law. There are seven: Baptism, Confirmation (or Chrismation), the Eucharist, Penance [also called Reconciliation or Confession], the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony. The seven sacraments touch all the stages and all the important moments of Christian life: they give birth and increase, healing and mission to the Christian's life of faith. There is thus a certain resemblance between the stages of natural life and the stages of the spiritual life. (CCC, 1210)

There are three sacraments of Christian initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist; two sacraments of healing: Penance (also called Reconciliation or Confession), and Anointing of the Sick; and two sacraments at the service of communion and the mission of the faithful: Matrimony (Marriage) and Holy Orders. This order, while not the only one possible, does allow one to see that the sacraments form an organic whole in which each particular sacrament has its own vital place. In this organic whole, the Eucharist occupies a unique place as the "Sacrament of sacraments": "all the other sacraments are ordered to it as to their end." (see CCC, 1211)

To be fully initiated means to have received the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. In the Diocese of Manchester, the Sacrament order has been “restored”.

The order of the Sacraments was changed in 1910 by bringing the age of First Eucharist down to 7 years of age (the age of reason), however at that time Confirmation was not moved into its proper place, which is after Baptism but before Eucharist.

In restoring the order of the Sacraments of Initiation, Bishop Libasci has realigned the Sacraments to their proper order of reception; the order that Catholic Christians have received them for over 1900 years: Baptism, Confirmation, and then Eucharist.

Diocese of Manchester resources on Restored Order (introduced in 2017):
LETTER FROM BISHOP LIBASCI    FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
(For more, visit the Diocese of Manchester's website at catholicnh.org/restored-order-resources/)
 

How does the “Restored Order” of the Sacraments affect my family?

Going forward, children at St. Michael will prepare for and receive sacraments in the following order:
2nd grade - First Reconciliation
3rd Grade - Confirmation and First Eucharist

For your convenience, Sacramental Preparation classes will be concurrent with Family Formation sessions. Family Formation is open to children through 5th grade and includes adult lessons. Please find more information and register for both Sacramental Prep and Formation using the button below:

FAMILY FORMATION PAGE

In Middle School and High School, students can participate in youth ministry activities to further promote growth and fellowship within their faith journey.

If you have a child who is older than 3rd Grade and needs Sacramental Prep, or you have questions about our family program, please reach out to Susan Breton. :)
 

THANK YOU FOR BEING YOUR CHILD'S FIRST MINISTER!

Education in the faith by the parents should begin in the child's earliest years. This already happens when family members help one another to grow in faith by the witness of a Christian life in keeping with the Gospel. Family catechesis precedes, accompanies, and enriches other forms of instruction in the faith. Parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God. The parish is the Eucharistic community and the heart of the liturgical life of Christian families; it is a privileged place for the catechesis of children and parents.  (CCC 2226)

We're here to help you on this mission of raising the next generation of loving and faithful Catholics.  Please reach out to us with any questions or concerns.  God bless you and your family!