Life Events - Sacraments
A sacrament is any way in which we are reminded that the Divine Spirit is fully and completely present within the physical world we live and move and have our being within. In the Episcopal Church we define a sacrament as: "an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace" (BCP 857). There are two sacraments which all Christians participate in and those are Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, as Jesus shared in these during his life and ministry. At St. Paul's we offer these, as well as other significant occasions and markers that reveal to us God's Divine and ever present love in our lives, including Confirmation, Marriage, Reconciliation, and Unction (or laying on of hands).
Baptism
Holy Baptism is a sacrament by which God welcomes new members into Christ's Body, the Christian Church, and offers them a place in the reign of God as expressed through the Christian faith. The outward and visible sign in Baptism is water, in which an individual is baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The inward and spiritual grace in Baptis…
Read More »Confirmation
The sacrament of Confirmation is a mature profession of one’s faith. While it is often undertaken separately from the sacrament of Holy Baptism, Confirmation is actually a reaffirmation of the baptismal rite and involves a public affirmation of faith and the laying on of hands by a Bishop. For those being baptized as a teenager or adult in the presence of a Bishop, confirmation would take place as a part of the baptismal rite.
Read More »Marriage
The Sacrament of Christian marriage is a covenantal relationship established when two individuals make solemn and public vows to one another in the presence of God and God's people. By vows of lifelong faithfulness and mutual love, care and respect, the wedding couple becomes a sacrament, that is, "an outward and visible sign," of God's steadfast love for creation and of Christ's…
Read More »Burial
The Burial of the Dead is a liturgy of the Christian Church by which we commend a loved one who has died into the blessed rest of God's eternal peace and affirm our belief that death is never the end to human meaning. At St. Paul's, we offer companionship and prayer to those whose loved ones have died, helping them to plan a funeral or memorial service that will authentically exp…
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