First Communion, June 23, 2019 at Our Lady of the Lake – Kipawa
Confirmation June 9, 2019 at Our Lady of the Lake- Kipawa
Confirmation 2019 at St.Theresa’s Parish
The Sacraments are at the centre of a healthy Christian life.
Instituted by Christ to convey His invisible grace, the Sacraments initiate and sustain our spiritual life.
“The Church was made manifest to the world on the day of Pentecost by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Spirit ushers in a new era in the “dispensation of the mystery” the age of the Church, during which Christ manifests, makes present, and communicates his work of salvation through the liturgy of his Church, “until he comes.” In this age of the Church Christ now lives and acts in and with his Church, in a new way appropriate to this new age. He acts through the sacraments in what the common Tradition of the East and the West calls “the sacramental economy”; this is the communication (or “dispensation”) of the fruits of Christ’s Paschal mystery in the celebration of the Church’s “sacramental” liturgy” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1076).
The Sacraments of Initiation
BAPTISM
Baptisms are scheduled by appointment with the priest. Simply call the parish office or talk to the priest after Mass to make an appointment.
This is an opportunity for you to get to know the priest, to learn more about Baptism, and to ask any questions you may have.
“Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word” (CCC, 1213).
CONFIRMATION
“Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the “sacraments of Christian initiation,” whose unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace. For “by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed” (CCC, 1285).
EUCHARIST
“At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet ‘in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us'” (CCC, 1323).
The Sacraments of Healing
CONFESSION
The priest is usually available for confessions before or after each parish Mass. He is also available by appointment.
“Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God’s mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion” (CCC, 1422).
ANOINTING OF THE SICK
If you know of a family member or friend in the the hospital, a nursing home, or confined to their home, who should receive the Sacrament of the Sick, please contact the parish office.
“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” (CCC, 1499).
The Sacraments at the Service of Communion
MARRIAGE
To be married in the Church, preparations begin at least 6 months in advance. There is a diocesan marriage preparation course that takes two Saturdays. Preparation also requires at least 3 meetings with the priest for spiritual and practical considerations. Please contact the parish office, if you have gotten engaged or if you wish to have God’s blessing upon an already established civil union.
“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” (CCC, 1601).
HOLY ORDERS
In the past 3 years the Pembroke Diocese has had 6 ordinations to the priesthood. We also have two more young men in seminary studying to be priests.
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers for His harvest” (Lk. 10:2).
Learn more about our recently ordained priests→
“Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time: thus it is the sacrament of apostolic ministry. It includes three degrees: episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate” (CCC, 1536).
Paroisse Ste-Thérèse, Témiscaming 
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