Baptism
1. As children are baptized into the faith community of their parents, it is necessary for the parents to be registered members of the parish in which they desire their child to be baptized. If you are not a registered member of St. Patrick's Parish, and desire to do so, please contact the Parish Office or e-mail at
stpatricksparish@stpatrickscr.org.
2. It is necessary for parents to attend a pre-baptism class. This is held once a month in one of the parishes of the Holy Family School System (3 times a year at St. Pat's). Parents may attend any of these classes, but must register for the class by contacting Penny Ackerman at the Parish Office or e-mail her at Youthminister@stpatrickscr.org.
3. Baptisms customarily take place on the 2nd Sunday of the month at Mass, or on the 4th Sunday of each month following Mass. Final arrangements for baptism need to be made at least two weeks prior to the weekend the baptism will be celebrated. Sometimes individual circumstances may require a different time for baptism, and these arrangements need to be made with the pastor.
First Reconciliation
A child is prepared for First Reconciliation, usually in the fall semester of 2nd grade. In addition to class preparation, a parent/guardian meeting is held to enable the parent(s)/guardian(s) to assist their child to understand forgiveness of self and others.
Prior to First Reconciliation, a retreat is held for the children to deepen their understanding of the sacrament. A prerequisite to the celebration of this special sacrament is that the child must have had a least 1 year prior instruction in either the Catholic School system or through a parish religious education program (CCD). For more information of this please contact the Religious Ed. Coordinator, Penny Ackerman at Youthminister@stpatrickscr.org or call her at the parish office.
First Eucharist
What an exciting sacrament. The celebration of First Eucharist is normally celebrated in the spring when the child is in the 2nd grade, and is celebrated as a class in the parish the child's parents are registered in. Class time preparation and a special retreat are held for the children prior to this important celebration. A parent/guardian meeting is also held to encourage the adults to share their faith with their children. Through the Eucharist the children begin to understand their baptismal promises.
A prerequisite to the receiving of this sacrament is that the child must have had a least 1 year prior instruction in either the Catholic School system or through a parish religious education program (CCD). For more information of this please contact Penny Ackerman at Youthminister@stpatrickscr.org.
Confirmation
Christian Footsteps: High school youth attending public schools are required to attend the Christian Footsteps program in their freshman year as preparation for their journey toward Confirmation which is usually held during the child's sophomore year. Christian Footsteps is a combination of a formal continuation of their religious education as well as an exploration of their baptismal call into the wider community.
Formal Confirmation Preparation: High school youth who are in their sophomore year or older are invited to prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Formal preparation is a year long journey in which the youth are encouraged to begin to live their Catholic faith as an adult, in addition to continuing their studies of Catholic doctrine and scripture.
For more information of the sacrament of Confirmation please contact Penny Ackerman at Youthminister@stpatrickscr.org. or call her at the Parish Office.
Matrimony
The day a couple gets married is the most important day in their life. The joining of a man and woman in the holy sacrament of marriage is truly a blessed event that the church, especially the entire local parish community, rejoices with the couple and their families. The church, as does the couple, takes the sanctity and permanency of marriage very serious. However in the world we live in today, there are many forces that can go against this belief of a happy life long relationship between a husband and wife.
To assist the couple in their preparation for their life long union, the church has asked that every parish to work with the couples to give them every advantage as possible.
As such, to allow for ample time to complete the necessary marriage preparation, a couple desiring to be married at St. Patrick's should make contact with the Pastor at least 6 months in advance of the desired wedding date. It is advisable that this be done prior to making any arrangements for a reception hall, as the dates for the church do fill up somewhat fast.
St. Patrick's offer several programs that have been designed to assist the couple in their discernment and preparation for their receiving of the sacrament. These include Sponsor Couple, Pre-Cana Classes, and Engaged Encounter. When you meet with the Pastor he can inform you on the formats and dates for the various pre-marriage programs.
For more information on getting married at St. Patrick's please contact the Pastor, Fr. Phil Thompson at the parish office or e-mail him at FrThompson@stpatrickscr.org.
