Baptism Seminar is mandatory for first child.
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
1213 Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua),4 and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water and in the word.”
2017 Baptism Seminar Policy Change
As of January 1, 2017, SMM will institute new changes regarding the monthly Baptism Seminars. If possible, Parents/Godparents are encouraged to attend a seminar BEFORE the birth of the baby and PRE-REGISTRATION will now be required by calling the Parish Office of Religious Education at 733-8980. Also, Baptisms will now be offered the 2nd Sunday* before & during the 11AM Mass AND the 3rd Sunday* after the 11AM Mass every month.
(*exceptions due to parish special events).
Candidates must have 2 consecutive years of Catholic religious instruction prior to reception of these sacraments. Contact Parish Religious Education Coordinator for further information.
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
Reconciliation
1422 “Those who 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.”
1424 "It is called the sacrament of Reconciliation, because it imparts to the sinner the love of God who reconciles: “Be reconciled to God.”7 He who lives by God’s merciful love is ready to respond to the Lord’s call: “Go; first be reconciled to your brother.”
Communion
1323 “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 so 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.’”
PROGRAM FOR YOUNG ADULTS
This Confirmation Program is for High School Students attending Catholic, private or public schools. In the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Confirmation Candidates MUST COMPLETE 2 CONSECUTIVE YEARS of religious instruction in either a Catholic High School or a Catholic Parish High School Program. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE! Therefore, if you are a high school student and are entering the 10th grade this school year (2017-18), you should register for the confirmation program NOW in order to be confirmed in the spring of 2018. Please call 733-8980 for further information.
VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION....
SERVICE HOUR REQUIREMENTS AND CALENDAR/DUE DATES
ADULT CONFIRMATION CLASSES
This Confirmation Program is for adult Catholics (18 & over) who wish to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. Requirements are: must be baptized Catholic, received 1st Communion and have received some instructiuon in the faith. Classes are held during the Easter Season with the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation at the St. Louis Cathedral on Pentecost Sunday. PRE-Registration is required. Please call 733-8980 for further information.
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
1285 Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the “sacraments of Christian initiation,” whose unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the reception of 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. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.”
Contact Parish priest at least 6 to 8 months prior to planned date of marriage. Celebrated Friday evenings; Saturday mornings, early afternoons or evenings. Church Fee: $300; Chapel Fee: $100.
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
1601 “The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.”
CARE OF THE SICK: Communion brought to Homebound weekly by Extraordinary Ministers of Communion. Anointing of Sick available on individual basis by appointment. Please call the Rectory (504) 733-0922.
1499 “By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayer of the priests the whole Church commends those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save them. And indeed she exhorts them to contribute to the good of the People of God by freely uniting themselves to the Passion and death of Christ.”
1572 Given the importance that the ordination of a bishop, a priest, or a deacon has for the life of the particular Church, its celebration calls for as many of the faithful as possible to take part. It should take place preferably on Sunday, in the cathedral, with solemnity appropriate to the occasion. All three ordinations, of the bishop, of the priest, and of the deacon, follow the samemovement. Their proper place is within the Eucharistic liturgy. 1573 The essential rite of the sacrament of Holy Orders for all three degrees consists in the bishop’s imposition of hands on the head of the ordinand and in the bishop’s specific consecratory prayer asking God for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and his gifts proper to the ministry to which the candidate is being ordained.