Roman Catholicism

The 7 Sacraments
 What is a Sacrament?
 A Sacrament is a physical sign of a spiritual
reality
 There are 7 sacraments
 The first 3 are known as the sacraments of
initiation
 They are baptism, confirmation, and eucharist
 The final 4 sacraments are confession, anointing
the sick, holy orders and matrimony
 Why Baptism?
Because Jesus did.
 Baptism
 Comes from the Greek word that means
“to plunge” or “to immerse”
 The symbolic plunging and rising up again
from the water reminds us that a new
Catholic enters into Christ’s death and
then rises to a new life of grace
 It is the sign of joining the Christian family
(was formerly circumcision)
 Both for men and women and children
 Symbols of Baptism
 Water – water represents cleansing
 Oil – in ancient world, oil was used to
anoint kings and queens to show they
were set apart
 White garment – Purity, means putting on
Christ, similar to a bride
 Candle – Christ is the light of the world
and so we should be as well
 Confirmation
 Happened in the early Church and in Acts
 Is the completion of baptism
 You are saying that this is your faith not
just your parents if baptized as an infant
 To be done when one has reached the
“age of discretion”
 Effects of Confirmation
1. The full outpouring of the holy Spirit
2. Binding us more closely to the Church
and more firmly to Christ
3. Increasing the gifts of the Holy Spirit in
us, especially his strength to spread the
faith by word and deed
 Eucharist
 The Eucharist is the celebration of the death,
burial and resurrection of Jesus.
 In the Bible, it is called the Lord's Supper.
 Christians are invited to celebrate the Eucharist
every week during Mass.
 Children usually make their First Holy
Communion at the age of 7 or 8.
 This is a formal affair, and children completing
their First Holy Communion wear formal attire.
 Eucharist
 Transubstantiation– the transfer of the
substance of bread and wine at Mass to
the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
 Cleanses from sin and gives spiritual
energy and nourishment
 Anointing of the Sick
 Sacrament offered to those who are
suffering from serious illness, for the
elderly, for those facing major surgery, and
for the dying.
 Primarily lead by priests or
bishops.
 They anoint the persons body
and pray for them.
 Sacrament of Confession or
Reconciliation
 Itis a sacrament of healing through which
Christ extends forgiveness to sinners,
bringing about reconciliation with God and
the Church.
 Given to priest in a confessional
anonymously
 Involves:
 Contrition – feeling sorry for your sins
 Confession – admitting our faults
 Absolution – the priest forgives us in the
name of Christ Jesus
 Satisfaction – or penance, something to
make repair for the harms our sins have
caused
 Matrimony
 A sign of God calling a man and woman
to holiness through ordinary married life.
 God is the source of marriage.
 Marriage is meant to be a covenant.
 The Church teaches that there are two
primary purposes of marriage:
1. Procreative – be fruitful and multiply
2. Unitive – become one body
 Till Death Do Us Part…
 The Catholic Church does not permit the
divorce of a valid marriage
 Annulments can be given. An annulment is
an official Church declaration that what
appeared to be a Christian marriage never
existed in the first place.
 Holy Orders
 All of us are called to serve others as part of a
common priesthood, but the Church also has
those who minister to us:
 Deacons – helpers to priests
 Priests – servants to God’s people, celebrate the
Eucharist
 Bishops – servants to God’s people and the
priests in their area
 Religious nuns and brothers – servants to all of
God’s people. Join orders and take 3 vows:
 Poverty, chastity, and obedience
 Women & Celibacy
 Women  Celibacy
 The Catholic Church  Celibacy is the state of
doesn’t ordain women being unmarried that
because Jesus didn’t and priests and other religious
because the priest is a leaders choose in order
representation of Christ to dedicate their lives
who was male. totally to Jesus and God’s
 Women can become people
nuns  In the Latin rite of the
Church priests cannot
marry
 This may change one day
as it is only a doctrine of
the church