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Sacraments.
As a Church, receiving the sacraments are so important to our personal growth as Catholics. The blessings and grace, healing and renewal that they give cannot be replaced by anything worldly and give us the strength to walk as a son or daughter of God.
If you are not a member of St. Michael Church, but have received the sacraments in another Catholic Church, you can call the Parish office at 216.524.1394 to receive information about joining our Parish Family.
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If you are not Catholic but are interested in information about becoming Catholic, please contact the Parish office about our RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) program.
THE SACRAMENTS OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist)
Baptism
The Greek word from which the sacrament's name is derived (baptizein) means to "plunge" or "immerse". Baptism, the door to life and to the kingdom of God, is the first sacrament of the New Law, which Christ offered to all, that they might have eternal life. When we are "plunged" into the baptismal font, the holy water is poured upon us - a sign of our rebirth in the waters of new life. Baptism is God's most beautiful and magnificent gift....We call it gift, grace. anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal, and most precious gift. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own; grace since it is given even to the guilty; anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed; enlightenment because it radiates light; clothing since it veils our shame; bath because it washes; and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God's Lordship. Baptism is one of three sacraments of initiation in the Catholic Church. Baptism is the sacrament by which its recipients are incorporated into the Church and are built up together in the Spirit into a house where God lives, into a holy nation and a royal priesthood. If you are a member of St. Michael Parish with an infant or child to be baptized, please call the Parish office for more information. If you are an adult who has not been baptized, please contact the Parish office about our RCIA program.
Confirmation
One of the three sacraments of initiation, 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. Those who have been confirmed are true witnesses of Christ and are more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed. On several occasions Christ promised and outpouring of the Holy Spirit. A promise he fulfilled at Pentecost. Filled with the Holy Spirit, the apostles began to proclaim the mighty works of God. From that time on the apostles, in fulfillment of Christ's will, imparted to the newly baptized by the laying on of hands the gift of the Holy Spirit that completes the grace of Baptism. Very early in Church tradition, an anointing with perfumed oil (chrism) was added to the laying on of hands. This was added to better signify the gift of the Holy Spirit. This anointing highlights the name "Christian" which means "anointed" and derives from Christ himself. whose name means "anointed one". At St. Michael Church, the sacrament of Confirmation is conferred to baptized Catholics in eighth grade for both our School and our PSR (Parish School of Religion) program. Please contact the Parish office for more information.
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 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." The Eucharist is the "source and summit of the Christian life." The "other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesial ministries and the works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. Eucharist is an act of thanksgiving to God. The Greek word from which it is derived (eucharistein) recalls the Jewish blessings that proclaim - especially during a meal - God's works: creation, redemption and sanctification. One of the three sacraments of initiation, there are many different names we give to the Eucharist, probably the most recognized is Holy Communion. We use this name because by the sacrament we unite ourselves to Christ, who makes us sharers in his Body and Blood to form a single body. This sacrament should be the focus and summary of our faith as Catholics and as such, Catholics who are properly prepared are encouraged to receive the Eucharist every weekend when they come to Mass. The reception of the sacrament of First Holy Communion for baptized Catholics takes place in the second grade for both our School and our PSR program. Please contact the Parish office for more information.
THE SACRAMENTS OF HEALING (Penance & Anointing of the Sick)
Penance
Those whose 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. Often referred to as Reconciliation or Confession, Penance makes present Jesus' call for all of us to conversion, the first step in returning to God the Father from whom we have strayed by our sin. The offering of our "confession" to the priest is our sacramental acknowledgement of our sinfulness and God's holiness and mercy toward man. Its also through Penance that receive sacramental absolution from the priest granting us God's pardon, peace, and reconciliation to the Church on earth. The sacrament of Penance is offered almost every Saturday in the Church from 3:30pm until 4:00pm. Individual appointments for confession can be made by contacting the Parish office. Catholics are encouraged to receive the sacrament of Penance often, especially during Lent.
Anointing of the Sick
Christ's compassion toward the sick and his many healings of every infirmity are a resplendent sign that "God has visited his people" and that the Kingdom of God is close at hand. He made the apostles share in this ministry: "So they went out and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them." The Church has received this same charge from the Lord to "Heal the sick!" We believe in the life-giving presence of Christ, the physician of souls and bodies. When someone becomes seriously ill, they may receive the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. This anointing can be done only by a priest with blessed oil, usually on the forehead and hands of the person accompanied by the liturgical prayer asking for the special grace of this sacrament. Please contact the Parish office if someone you know is in need of this sacrament.
THE SACRAMENTS AT THE SERVICE OF COMMUNION (Holy Orders & Matrimony)
Holy Orders
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. Also referred to as ordination, this ministry is vital to maintaining the Church's mission on earth. Through the ordained ministry, especially that of bishops and priests, the presence of Christ as head of the Church is made visible in the midst of the community of believers. For more information about vocations to the priesthood or deaconate, please contact the Parish office to speak with a priest or you can contact the main office of the Diocese of Cleveland.
Matrimony
The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life. It is a covenant that has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament. Holy Scripture affirms that man and woman were created for each other in God's design for creation, so the Church holds the exchange of consent between two spouses to be the indispensable element of the sacrament. The consent consists in a "human act by which the partners mutually give themselves to each other." For more information about celebrating the sacrament of Matrimony and the process for its preparation at St. Michael Church, please contact the Parish office.