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The Sacrament of BaptismThe Sacrament of 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 and made sharers in her mission: Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1213
Dear Parents,
Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church welcomes with great joy your family for the preparation and celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism of your child. By baptizing your child, you are deciding that your baby will be a Christian, a member of the Body of Christ, the Church. By baptizing your child, you put your dear one in God’s hands in this Sacrament, and commit your child to the loving care of Jesus Christ, God’s Son.
In asking to have your child baptized, you also are accepting the responsibility of training your child in the lifelong practice of the Catholic faith. Those you select as godparents are to be prepared to help you in your duty as Christian parents, and be a trustworthy witness and example of the faith for your child.
Before completing the Registration Form, please read carefully the guidelines for the Sacrament of Baptism for Infants (children under the age of 7).
1. To initiate the baptismal preparation process at Most Holy Trinity, a parent must stop by the Church office to make:
a) An appointment for Parent and family with the priest or with the secretary.
b) Complete a Baptism Registration Form (see attached),
c) Pre-register both the parents and godparents for attendance at Most Holy Trinity baptism class.
2. Contact the church office at 936-594-6664 for information concerning classes. One or both parent must attend this one-on-one appointment. This appointment will provide parents an opportunity to turn in the Baptismal Registration Form and required documents and ask questions, and an opportunity to review the Church’s baptism formation program, qualifications for godparents, and required documents.
3. Baptism classes to be held as needed. Contact the church office at 936-594-6664 for arrangements. Both parents and godparents are required to attend and participate in the entire baptism class offered at Most Holy Trinity. Parents and godparents may also provide written proof of attendance at a baptismal preparation program at another Catholic parish within the past three years.
4. We regret that childcare is not available. We ask that parents and godparents make alternative childcare arrangements if possible.
Parents...
Consent of at least one of the parents is required for a child to be baptized and there must be a “well founded hope that the child will be brought up in the catholic religion” (Code of Canon Law 868).
Parent(s) must live within the parish boundaries of Most Holy Trinity or be registered parishioners of Most Holy Trinity.
If parents do not live within the boundaries do not intend to register as parishioners, a letter from the pastor of their proper parish is required, granting permission to have the child baptized at Most Holy Trinity.
Parents must provide the Church office with a copy of the state-issued Birth Certificate or the Verification of Birth Fact of the child to be baptized.
Qualifications for Godparents.
The child to be baptized is required to have a godparent. One godparent is sufficient; but there may be two godparents, one of each gender. (CCL 873) A godparent for a Catholic baptism must be a fully initiated, practicing Catholic. A “fully initiated, practicing Catholic” must have received all of the Sacraments of Initiation – Baptism, Eucharist (First Communion) and Confirmation (CCL 874), and must attend Mass regularly.
Godparents must be 16 years of age or older.
Godparents may not be the mother or father of the child.
Godparents must live lives of faith befitting the role of godparents.
If godparents are married to each other or to other spouses, the marriage(s) must be recognized by the Catholic Church as valid.
If the person selected as a godparent is not fully initiated into the Catholic Church, and/or is not in a Catholic marriage, he/she may be eligible to be a Christian Witness, but not a godparent.
Godparents must complete and sign the Baptism Sponsor Covenant Form (see attached).
Godparents must participate in a baptism class at Most Holy Trinity, or provide written proof of attendance at a baptismal preparation program at another Catholic parish within the last three years.
The Sacrament of Baptism will be scheduled after all requirements are fulfilled by the parent(s) and godparent(s). At Most Holy Trinity, infant baptisms are celebrated during our celebration of the Holy Masses on 4:00pm Saturday afternoon, and 10:00am or the 1:00pm Sunday Masses. Baptisms are not celebrated during Lent.
If there are any questions or concerns about baptismal preparation at Most Holy Trinity, please call the Church office at (936) 594-6664 or bring them to the classes .
We look forward to welcoming your child into the Catholic Church, and to you and your family’s commitment to this lifelong faith journey.
Sincerely,
Fr. Cesar Betancourt
Administrator
If you are interested in Baptismal Arrangements, please fill out the Baptismal Arrangements form and submit directly to the Church.
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The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation
The Sacrament of Penance and 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.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1422Confession Times The Sacrament of Confession will be celebrated on Saturdays, 2:30 pm to 3:45 pm. No Confessions will be heard after the 4:00 pm Mass. -
The Sacrament of the Eucharist
The Sacrament of the Eucharist
The holy Eucharist completes Christian initiation. Those who have been raised to the dignity of the royal priesthood by Baptism and configured more deeply to Christ by Confirmation participate with the whole community in the Lord's own sacrifice by means of the 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 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.
Catechism of the Cat -
The Sacrament of Confirmation
The Sacrament of Confirmation
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.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1285 -
The Sacrament of Matrimony
The Sacrament of Matrimony
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.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1601 -
The Sacrament of Holy Orders
The Sacrament of 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.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1536 -
The Anointing of the Sick
The 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.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1499