Sacraments

Christ instituted the sacraments of the new law.  The sacraments touch all stages and all the important moments of Christian life.  They give birth and increase, healing and mission to the Christian’s life of faith.  There is thus a certain resemblance between the stages of natural life and the stages of the spiritual life.

The seven sacraments are:

Baptism — Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, 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 andmade sharers in her mission: “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word.”

Baptism Preparation (English) — contact Rev. Mr. Stephen Pickett, Deacon (828) 754-5281
Prep Bautismal (Espanol) — Lupita Perez (828) 221-6369, Silvia Echeverria (828) 729-4048

Reconciliation — “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.”

Eucharist — “At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharist sacrafice 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 gloriy is given to us.’

Confirmation — “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.”

Children are required to complete a 3-year Confirmation Preparation Process through the Faith Formation Program. Contact the Faith Formation Director at the church office at 828-754-5281.

Adults are required to complete the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (R.C.I.A.) program. Contact the church office at 828-754-5281 for more information.

Matrimony — “The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offsprings; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.”

Contact the church office at 828-754-5281 or Email stfrancislenoir@rcdoc.org at least 6 months in advance to schedule.

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. It includes three degrees: episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate.

Anointing of the Sick — “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.”

– Excerpted from the Catechism of the Catholic Church