The Sacraments have been defined as:

"those finite realities through which God is communicated to the Church and through which the Church responds to God’s self-communication." (McBrien)

The word "sacrament" means sign, and the Church’s worship and self-understanding is intimately bound up with these signs of God’s grace given in God’s goodness.

In the parish several of the Sacraments have an associated educational programme as part of preparation for them.

 

Baptism

In Baptism a child receives the first sacrament of initiation into the Christian Community and begins to live with the very life of Christ. The community aspect of Baptism is often stressed in the rite. The local community welcomes the child into its midst with great joy, while acknowledging the important part it has to play in supporting the parents in fulfilling their responsibility. Infant Baptism is but a seed to be nurtured by the parents and the wider community.

Regarding preparation, the Rite of Baptism itself states:

It is the duty of the priest to prepare families for the Baptism of their children and to help them in the task of Christian formation which they have undertaken. (No.7)

 

Baptism Preparation is conducted each month on the third Thursday at 7.30pm in the Parish Centre. All those who wish to have their child(ren) baptised must contact the Parish Office so that the relevant information can be given to them prior to the preparation. Baptisms are conducted on the first and third Sundays each month at 11.30am. Alternatively parents may choose to have the baptism during any of the Sunday Masses on any weekend.

 

 

First Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation are prepared for in the following manner:

1. Two compulsory adult-only evenings are held immediately preceding each of the Sacramental Programmes. These evenings incorporate the initial enrolment of the child into the programme as well as some adult information, and the receiving of programme worksheets, etc..

2. Each of the sacramental programmes then consists of five or six weekly meetings, in small groups, held in family homes. Parents are asked to work with their children between each session. All sessions must be attended.

The First Reconciliation (Confession) Programme is conducted in the 4th Term of the school year. The programme is over seven weeks, including the two compulsory adult only evenings. All children aged 7 or above who have not prepared for their First Reconciliation are invited to participate. This is the first step in the child’s preparation for First Communion.

 

The First Holy Communion Programme is conducted during the 3rd Term of the school year. It continues over eight weeks, including the two compulsory adult only evenings, and there is also a preparation/reflection day at the end of the programme at the church. This is a parish/family based programme. All children in Year 3 or above are eligible to prepare for their First Holy Communion. First Holy Communion is held during all Masses on the weekends allocated.

 

Confirmation Preparation is conducted during the 2nd Term of the school year. The programme is followed over eight weeks, including the two compulsory adult only evenings, and there is also a preparation/reflection day at the church to conclude it. All children in Year 6 or above are eligible to prepare for this sacrament.

 

 

Another sacrament we should all know about and understand is the sacrament named the Anointing of the Sick.

Sickness prevents us from living a full life. A sick person shares in Jesus’ suffering. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy urges the faithful not to delay receiving the sacrament. As soon as anyone "begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him/her to receive the sacrament has certainly arrived." (Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy Par. 73) From the very early days of the Church we read of this practice:

Is anyone sick among you? Let him call in the elders of the Church and they will pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will restore the sick one. (James 5: 14-15) and is on page 249 RSV.

In the past, there was a tendency to delay requesting this sacrament until the person was at a point of death. However, the sacrament provides grace to cope with illness, and even spiritual vitality to recover from the illness. The priest will certainly indicate if he thinks that the administration of the sacrament is unnecessary or unwarranted.

If you, or one of your family or a friend, are in need of this sacrament, contact should be made through the parish office or on the after hours number .... 9727 3759...at any time.

 

 

Marriage

Jesus left his followers an approach toward marriage which recognises it as a sacred reality, a sign of the power of God’s love. The Christian community felt the need to present this attitude by surrounding the marriages of its members with special care.

It is Jesus’ approach to the permanence of marriage as a sacred sign of divine love, that forms the basis for understanding Marriage as a Sacrament. The community’s care is meant to help the couple encounter the love of the Risen Lord as they begin their life together. Their life of faithful love becomes a living sacrament, an on-going sign of the presence and power of God’s love.

Because of the Church’s wholehearted belief in marriage, and because it is the hope marriages will be as successful and rewarding as possible, the people of St. Mary’s Parish, put before those considering marriage the following guidelines:

1. Ring the Parish Office and make a tentative booking — to be confirmed by an appointment with Father Neville and the picking up of the brochure Marrying at St Mary’s. Six months notice, at least, is requested.

It is taken for granted that:

	Both parties are over 18 years of age (Commonwealth Law — otherwise a Magistrate’s permission is required);
	Both parties are free to marry. That is to say, have not been married before (unless widowed);
	If one or other has been married previously, whether a Catholic or not, a Catholic Church Annulment is required. (Sometimes people think that people who are Protestant or Jewish can get divorced and remarry. Not so. All human beings are held to a faithful and enduring marriage. If they divorce they may not, according to the Catholic view, remarry without an annulment.)
	State and Church papers will be attended to by the priest who is officiating at the marriage. Birth and Baptismal Certificates must be obtained.
	In approaching the Catholic Church to celebrate the Sacrament of Matrimony, it is presumed that faith is alive and well. Shaky maybe and unsure at times; but basic enough to bring the person in complete honesty and integrity to publicly celebrate their marriage in the Lord before all. Marrying "in church" just to please one’s family, or because one wants the aura of a "church" wedding, is not enough. Faith and practice and some commitment to community life and worship are both desirable and just plain honest. Where faith and/or practice is weak or non-existent for a long time there will have to be dialogue on the subject, and an effort made to discern the wisdom of a church wedding.

2. Couples are expected to attend a Marriage Preparation Course. Details of those available will be given at the first appointment with Father Neville.

3. Be prepared to devote, in addition, an hour or so on four or five evenings for preparation, instruction, the fulfilling of legal requirements, and the making of decisions about the liturgical details of the marriage.

4. Be ready to consider the implications of asking for the celebration of marriage within a Nuptial Mass. Nuptial Mass tells the world that the person values faith, the sacrament, and the special blessing of the Lord in Holy Communion at the wedding. It says that the Mass is quite important as demonstrated by devotion to it.

If this is not the case, the beautiful Marriage Ceremony is offered. The ceremony is not only a real and meaningful celebration of the sacrament of matrimony in church; but it is also a lovely beginning to marriage and, hopefully, a fresh invitation that in their new life together, the couple will re-affirm their faith and reunite themselves as a married couple to a faith community. This is, surely, a more honest approach in areas where church-going has not been a part of the couple’s normal life, and they have not demonstrated their devotion to the Mass and Eucharist over recent years.