Sacraments

Marriage

Holy matrimony is a wonderful vocation and a great gift of the spouses to each other. If you have chosen to be married in the Catholic church, here are a few things to consider:

1. Please contact the parish 6 months or earlier prior to the date. If not possible, please call anyway.
2. Sign up for a Marriage Preparation course. This will give you a great start on what to do to prepare for your life-time marriage together, as well as your wedding day. A simple google search will usually tell you when and where one is offered in your area.
3. Finally, although there seems to be a certain custom of getting married in the bride’s home town, the normal catholic path is to get married in the parish in which the couple is currently practicing their faith and intends to raise a family. Of course there are always many exceptions to this norm. At the very least, please contact a priest from the parish in which you reside, as he will be in charge of your paperwork. If this is not the parish in which you intend to marry, please inform him and also contact the priest in the parish in which you intend to have your marriage witnessed.

Reconciliation

“Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” James 5:16

The Sacrament of Reconciliation (ie. confession, or penance) is truly a foretaste of heaven. It is not a judgmental time but rather an encounter with a loving God who desperately yearns for our hearts and to make them right.

To that end, I am always available for confession, no matter what I am doing. If you can’t find me, feel free to call and make an appointment. Adoration is a special time that is set aside for confessions as well. In Carrot River, we have adoration from 6pm-7pm every Thursday and in Zenon Park from 7pm-8pm every Friday. Before and after each Mass (check bulletin for Mass times) I am also extremely happy to make time for your confession. Finally, during my office hours, you are more than welcome to stop by!

Zenon Park: Tuesday 9:30am-12pm

Wednesday 9:30-12pm

Carrot River Thursday 12pm-6pm

Arborfield      Friday 11am-2pm

Baptism

The Sacrament of baptism welcomes a child or a person into the faith and into the family of God, anointing them as priest, prophet and king, and making them members of Christ’s body. Since baptism is a big decision on the part of the parents, we ask that you attend a baptismal preparation before scheduling a baptism. As we currently don’t have a high number of baptismal requests, I am happy to schedule a class at your convenience.

Normally we baptize before the age of 7 as once they are 7 they are eligible for Communion and Confirmation as well, and that is a longer process. If your child is 7 or older, we would be happy to enroll them in those classes so they can receive all three Sacraments!

If you are an adult who has not been baptized and you are interested in the Catholic faith, please call and we can discuss your journey towards the Sacraments.

Confirmation and First Communion

We normally begin the journey towards these Sacraments in Grade 2 at age 7. Typically we begin in October and finish in the spring. Please contact our parish for more details!

Priesthood

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;  therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:35-38

Have you ever thought about a vocation to the priesthood? God calls many to live their vocation to married life and to serve their family, the domestic church. But there are us as well who are called to serve the larger church and are an integral part to making God known to many people and families. If God has put this on your heart in prayer, please don’t hesitate to call so we can discuss this further.

Our Diocesan Vocation Director is Fr. Jim Kaptien and he can be reached at:

St. Mark parish, Prince Albert 306-764-4637 or

email: frkaptein@hotmail.com