Sacrament of Baptism
“Baptism speaks with water and light, oil and white garment, song and sometimes even welcoming applause.” (Your Child’s Baptism by Carol Luebering)
“Baptism is the sacrament by which men and women are incorporated into the Church, built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit, into a holy nation and a royal priesthood. It is a sacramental bond of unity linking all who have been signed by it (Rite of Baptism for Children, General Introduction 4).”
Parents are asked two questions as they present their child for Baptism: “What name do you give your child?” “What do you ask of God’s church for your child?” The answer to the first question is easy and the second question requires only a short answer: Baptism.
Catechesis in preparation for the celebration of Infant Baptism is directed primarily to adults—the parents and godparents of infants to be Baptized. For many parents, the decision to baptize a child is a turning point in their personal journey of faith.
The Church rejoices in the parents’ decision and carefully designs a Baptismal Preparation Process that facilitates the information and transformation of faith. “Parishes should present baptismal catechesis that:
Teaches that Baptism
- Is the foundation of the Christian life because it is the journey into Christ’s death and Resurrection, which is the foundation of our hope;
- Gives sanctifying grace, that is, God’s life;
- Gives them a new birth in which they become children of God, members of Christ, and temples of the Holy Spirit;
- Cleanses people from original sin and from all personal sins;
- Incorporates them into the life, practices, and mission of the Church; and
- Imprints on their souls an indelible character that consecrates them for Christian worship and is necessary for salvation in the case of all those who have heard the Gospel and have been able to ask for this sacrament.
The entire community gathers with the parents, promises assistance as the parents lovingly care for their child and open their lives to the grace of God. Likewise, following the celebration of Baptism, the parish offers ongoing catechesis of parents and affirms and supports the domestic Church.
Looking for Resources?
Follow this link: Infant Baptism Preparation Resources
Sacrament of Reconciliation
The need for forgiveness is a constant in family life and in our lives as believers because we are imperfect beings who often distance ourselves from God and from one another. Family members learn together to seek and give forgiveness and to keep from hurting each other. Jesus also helps his brothers and sisters learn to live together through word and example, and through the outpouring of grace we receive in all the sacraments. Reconciliation is a divine remedy for sinfulness. Reconciliation celebrates the Prodigal’s return to the eternally mercifully Father, renewing the sinner’s union with God – and also with the community.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation can be described as a sacrament of healing through which the healing presence of Jesus is manifest. The Sacrament of Reconciliation continues Jesus’ work of forgiving and reconciling. As believers, we come to a deeper awareness of the goodness of God and God’s gifts to us through the sacraments. What God offers us is freely given, and intended to be freely received. Our faith tradition helps us to grow in deeper awareness of God’s love. At times, we fail to love as God calls us to love.
The person of Jesus welcomed sinners and reconciled them to the Father. Our relationship with our God is restored through the person of Jesus who reconciles us to God and to one another as sisters and brothers in Christ. Jesus continues to welcome sinners back to the Father, through this sacrament.
A minimum of one full year’s attendance in a Catholic school or formal faith formation is required immediately previous to the year in which a student is accepted into a Sacramental Program. Candidates need to participate in instruction on the Sacrament of Reconciliation according to the level of their psychological development, ability, age, and circumstance. A fuller catechesis is presented each year thereafter.
The norm of the Church is that first sacramental confession should precede the reception of First Eucharist (cf. Canon 914).
The regulations for reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the Archdiocese of Baltimore can be found in: Signs Of Gods Love
Looking for Resources?
Follow this link: Sacrament of Reconciliation Resources
Sacrament of Eucharist
The sacrament of the Eucharist is our family meal. It is the sacrament in which Jesus shares Himself most completely with us. We believe that Jesus truly becomes physically present to us under the signs of bread and wine. On the night he was betrayed Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples, offering the bread and the cup with the words, “This is my body” and “This is my blood” (Matthew 26:26-28). He asked the disciples to do what he did in His memory, and the Church continues to celebrate this meal in the Mass.
Children’s preparation for first reception of the Eucharist begins in the home. The family has the most important role in communicating the Christian and human values that form the foundation for the child’s understanding of the Eucharist. Children who participate with their family in the Mass experience the Eucharistic mystery in an initial way and gradually learn to join with the liturgical assembly in prayer. (NDC, 36-3a)
Eucharist is deeply bound to a parent’s concern. No one will ask parents to state their expectations for their children on their child’s First Communion Day. It is the child’s turn to make a one-word response – to speak an Amen, an assent in faith, to a statement that has many levels of meaning: “The Body of Christ.”
Parenthood reflects the parenthood of God Jesus called Father. “Eucharist, believers insist, expresses God’s dream for all children.” (Carol Luebering, Handing on the Faith) Dreams are also spun by family members, catechists and classmates, the parish staff, and the parish community also surrounds their son or daughter, for Eucharist is the focus of all believers’ dreams. It is, in believing minds, intimately connected with the deepest aspirations of the human heart. It speaks many aspects of our hunger for God: meal, sacrifice, initiation, and unity.
The parish immediate period of sacramental formation is freestanding from the Catholic school, homeschooling and the parish faith formation program. It therefore stands apart from any specific grade designation. Ordinarily, the use of reason occurs around the age of 7 years or grade two.
A minimum of one full year’s attendance in a Catholic school or formal faith formation is required immediately previous to the year in which a student is accepted into a Sacramental Program. Candidates need to participate in instruction on the Sacrament of Eucharist according to the level of their psychological development, ability, age, and circumstance. A fuller catechesis is presented each year thereafter.
The regulations for reception of the Sacrament of Eucharist in the Archdiocese of Baltimore can be found in Signs of God’s Love.
Looking for Resources?
Follow this link: Sacrament of Eucharist Resources
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults - The RCIA: a Journey, not a Program!
Confused by the vocabulary? Check this out first: RCIA Glossary
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is the normal way for unbaptized persons and those who have been baptized in another Christian tradition to become a Catholic, through a process of discerning and ritualizing the stages of gradual conversion. The rite of Christian initiation is designed for adults (and children of catechetical age) who, after hearing the mystery of Christ proclaimed, consciously and freely seek the living God and enter the way of faith and conversion as the Holy Spirit opens their hearts. By God’s help they will be strengthened spiritually during their preparation and at the proper time will receive the sacraments fruitfully. (RCIA Introduction 1)
For the Unbaptized, the RCIA gradually uncovers the story of God’s salvation for all; the mystery of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection; and the workings of the Holy Spirit as revealed in the beliefs, sacramental life and spiritual practices of the Catholic Church. The initiation of catechumens is a gradual process that takes place within the community of the faithful and in accordance with the Church’s liturgical year. Together with the catechumens, the faithful reflect upon the value of the paschal mystery, renew their own conversion, and by their example lead the catechumens to obey the Holy Spirit more generously. (#4)
For Baptized Christians who seek full communion with the Catholic Church, the RCIA includes rites and pastoral practice. (RCIA Part II: sections 4 and 5).
For Baptized Catholics who have received no other faith formation and have not received the sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist, the RCIA mentions pastoral practices to become a fully initiated Catholic (RCIA Part II, section 4).
- To help you recognize who is who, what process is needed, who does what, and where it is recorded, read the stories and scenarios that follow. (PDF)
- Stages and Rituals for Unbaptized Adults
There are four stages as well as rituals that mark these stages for unbaptized persons. what follows outlines these, supplemented by numerous minor rites and possibilities. (PDF) -
Templates & Tools for Liturgical Rites
To assist all who coordinate and plan RCIA liturgical Rites, we offer templates of many of the rites for you to adapt and use, as well as tools for their preparation and implementation. More will be added as they are developed.
Templates for parish celebrations:
Program or Process: the Year-Round Catechumenate
Because the Holy Spirit moves in the lives of people as it wills, they will knock at our doors to inquire about the Catholic Church year-round. Does your parish respond, “Come back in September!” or are you ready to welcome them whenever they come? Here are some resources to assist you in engaging in conversation with your RCIA team about what should be an on-going process.
- 4 Simple Steps to a Year-round RCIA Process from TeamRCIA
- Receiving Candidates One by One by Fr. Paul Turner
- Reflecting on the Year-Round Catechumenate by Rita Thiron from the Diocese of Lansing
- Six Proven Ways to Improve Your Children’s RCIA by Rita Burns Senseman from TeamRCIA
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