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Our goal in preparation
for the Sacraments is Communion with Jesus Christ. Preparation aids us in
entering into the mystery of Christ, to encounter him, and to discover yourself
and the meaning of your life in Christ. The National Catechetical Directory puts
it this way,
"At the heart of catechesis
(preparation) we find, in essence, a Person, the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, '
the only Son from the Father... full of grace and truth,' who suffered and died
for us and who now after rising, is living with us
forever."
We see sacraments as
those special times in which we can share the message and life of Jesus Christ.
Through the preparation and participation in the sacraments our hope is to fill
the individuals and families with the presence of Christ so that they go out and
share that same jesus Christ in their lives.
To view a specific sacrament click on sacrament:
Baptism , Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Annointing of the Sick
, Marriage, Holy Orders
.
Sacraments of Initiation
Baptism,
1st Eucharist and Confirmation are the Sacraments
that we first see upon entering the Church. The initial conversion to the
message and life of Jesus Christ is the primary purpose of these Sacraments. You can enter these
sacraments at any time in your life, but many enter these Sacraments as
children and youth. We truly believe that our sacraments are about community
and family and we celebrate and prepare for our sacraments in families and in
our community.
Baptism
If you are looking
to have your child baptized we ask that you meet with Father prior to the Baptism
to discuss the dates and the times. If you are interested in
Baptism for someone other than a baby, you may enter a process called The
Christian Initiation of Children or The Christian Initiation of Adults. You may speak
with our Director of Faith Formation, Father or call our Initiation coordinator,
Judy Beauchane at 320-743-4039
Eucharist
The
Eucharist is the central celebration of our faith community and provides a focus
for all of our Catholic life. As a general rule our 2nd grade children prepare
for 1st Eucharist. We have a six week home preparation process which includes a
family meeting and an extended learning center program to aid parents in
preparing their children. You may participate in this program at a later age as
well. These same young people prepare for 1st Reconciliation in a similar
process as well. Celebration of 1st Reconcilliation is in the Fall and 1st
Eucharist is in the Spring. If you have any questions please call our Faith
Formation Director at
320-743-3346
Confirmation
Preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation begins at the
end of the 9th grade year and proceeds through until the spring of their 11th
grade year. The preparation for the Sacrament is seperate from our Faith
Formation program, but all of those preparing must be in a Faith Formation
program either through a Catholic School, Households of Faith, or in our regular
Faith Foramtion Program. We ask that either parents or sponsors attend all
Confirmation Preparation sessions with the young people. Each young perosn
will be involved in a service program and will attend retreats during this time
of preparation. If interested please call our Director of Faith Formation at
320-743-3346
Rite of Christian Initiation of
Adults (RCIA)
RCIA is a celebration of the conversion process for adults
who want to deepen their relationship with God and strengthen their sense of
belonging to the Roman Catholic Church. Some people in the RCIA process are
unbaptized and little or no formal religioous formation. Some people in the
process have been baptized in another Christian denomination, but are now
discerning entering into full communion in the Roman Catholic Faith. Where as
others have been raised in the Catholic Church, but have not completed all of
the sacraments of initiation. If interested please contact Father, the
Director of Faith Formation or the Judy Beauchane, the Coordinator of RCIA
320-743-4039. Click on the link for an interesting article on conversion
http://www.smart.net/~tak/Chesterton/convertoc.html
Here is a site for those that
are returning Catholics or for those that are interested in the Catholic
Faith.
http://www.oncecatholic.org/reading.asp
Sacraments of Healing
Reconciliation
We offer the Sacrament of
Reconciliation on Saturdays at 4:15 pm or by appointment with the Priest.
Further, each grade level is gven an opportunity during the year to
participate in the Sacrament. Our 1st Reconciliation preparation process is
usually completed in 2nd grade but can be done later. We also have seasonal
services for the community. Contact the Director of Faith Formation or Father
if you have any questions. 320-743-3346.
Annointing of the
Sick
The sacrament is celebrated with
those whose health is in a serious condition, either physical or psychological.
If you desire this annointing please call the Parish Office at 320-743-2481.
Please call the office if someone is in the hospital. The sacrament is also
celebrated during our liturgies in the fall and
spring.
Sacraments of Committment
Marriage
To aid in the development of your
relationship and to prepare you for the Sacrament of marriage, couples are asked to call the and make an appointment
with the Pastor at least 8 months prior to a propsoed wedding date. You
will be asked to complete a pre-marriage investigation form, complete the FOCCUS, discuss the FOCCUS
with a sponsor couple and attend a diocesan marriage course. (see links
below).
Bishop Kinney's Pastoral Letter to those prapring for
marriage. "Marriage in Christ: The Sacrament of Lifelong, Faithful love"
http://www.stclouddiocese.org/OMF/marriage-prep/MarriagePastoral.html
FOCCUS/Couple to Couple
One of the first steps the
engaged couple will experience is that they will have a mentor couple that
they meet with so that the couple can learn more about themselves and
their relationship. The mentor couples utilize an instrument called FOCCUS
which guides the couples in their interactions together. Our couples that
minister are Kevin and Jean Goenner, Paul and Gwenn Fredericksen, Glen and Pat
Goenner.
Diocesan Marriage Course
The Diocese of
St. Cloud requires that each couple planning to marry attend an Engagement
Program. This provides an opportunity for the couple to realize the fullbeauty
and dignity of Christian marriage and respond to the Lord's call to be a
sacramental couple. Infromation on programs may be obtained from the Pastor or
at the folloing website:
http://www.stclouddiocese.org/OMF/marriage-prep/MarriageCourse.html
Diocesan Remarriage Preparation
Course
The Remarriage Course is a day long event for couples
entering into a second marriage.
http://www.stclouddiocese.org/OMF/marriage-prep/RemarriageCourse.html
Marriage
Encounter
Marriage Encounter is designed to give married to give
married couples the opportunity to examine their lives together. The emphasis of
Marriage Encounter is on communication between wife and husband, who spend a
weekend together free fro distraction. The weekend allows the couple to
rediscover each other and focus on their marriage relationship. For more
information and upcoming dates please click on on this site:
http://home.att.net/~StCloudME/
Retrouvaille
A life line for troubled
marriages. The Retrouvaille Program consists of a weekend experience with six
follow-up sessions. the program is designed to provide couples with the tools to
put their marriage in order again. It will give couples the opportunity to
examine their lives together in a new and positive way. To find out more info go
to the following site:
http://www.retrouvaille.org/Holy
Orders
The Sacrment of Holy Order is
received by priests and deacons to serve the Church. If this is something that
you might be interested in we encourage to contact the Vocations Office or
if you are interested in becomming a brother or sister you should contact the
Vocations Office at:
http://www.stclouddiocese.org/Vocations/
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