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grace for the recipient, but they also disclose
something fundamental about the Church that
celebrates them. Thus baptism incorporates one
into the Church, associates one with the death and
resurrection of Christ unto new life, effects a
forgiveness of sins, and orients one to the worship of
God and the wider mission of the Church. In
baptizing, the Church reveals itself to itself and to
the rest of the world primarily as a community, the
Body of Christ, and only secondarily as an
the Eastern Church, it was the presbyter who was and still is
the ordinary minister of Chrismation. In the Western Church,
the bishop became the ordinary minister of Chrismation and
so the sacrament was administered as close to baptism as
possible. However, because of space and time the sacrament
of Chrismation became separated from baptism and episcopal
visits became the norm of administering the sacrament. Thus,
there became a separation of these two initiation sacraments.
In the Middle Ages, a theology was established for a
sacrament after the fact of its separation from the baptismal
rite. Today, there is a movement to rejoin the sacraments into
one rite where it essentially belongs. The Catholic Church of
presbyter.
As a continuation and/or ratification of the Christian's baptismal commitment, Chrismation expresses
the essential missionary character of the Church and its nature as the Temple of the Holy Spirit. It is
a community called to manifest "the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and
reverence ... the spirit of wonder and awe in God's presence" (Roman Catholic Rite of
Confirmation). It is a principal movement when the Church reveals itself to itself and to the rest of
the world as a particular kind of community, filled with the Holy Spirit and committed to the Spirit's
release for the transformation of the world of creation.
mind what Jesus did but also effectively makes it present at the time of
remembrance. This comes out of the Jewish remembrance of their
Passover meal. When our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrate the
Passover, they celebrate the same Passover that their ancestors did
at the time of their deliverance from slavery. In the same way, we
celebrate the Passion Death and Resurrection of Christ and we are
present there through the sacred action of anamnesis. There is only
one Eucharist and we enter into that Eucharist when we gather as a
community to celebrate the mysteries/
The Eucharist, also a sacrament of initiation, establishes the
communion that exists not only between the Church and Christ but
also within the Church. It is an eschatological moment when the
Church celebrates what has happened before, but also what will come
to happen when the Church enters into its fullness and the Reign of
God is fulfilled in its entirety. Christ's presence in the Eucharist is
Baptism, Chrismation and Eucharist. However, this
process is only the beginning of our life in the
Christian community in that being human in nature we
are prone to sin and vulnerable to illness and
ultimately death. The call to Christian existence is a
call to perfection, and because of our weaknesses
the Church offers sacraments to help us to realize
our potential in the fullness of God's reign in the
Sacrament of Reconciliation and Sacrament of the
Sick. The Church celebrates these sacraments as a
sign of God's love and God's abiding healing power.
with God and Christ, and because of weakness have served their relationship with others and God. The
purpose of this sacrament is to heal and restore the separated member to full communion with the Church
so that the member might fully participate in the life and mission of the Church. The minister functions as a
healer and proclaimer of God's word in forwarding the message of salvation through laying on of hands
and the words of absolution. We,in the Catholic Church of the Americas, do celebrate auricular and
general absolution.
"The celebration of this sacrament is thus always an act in which the Church proclaims its faith, gives
thanks to God for the freedom with which Christ has made us free, and offers its life as a spiritual sacrifice
in praise of God's glory, as it hastens to meet the Lord Jesus" (Introduction to the new Rite, n. 7).
presbyters of the church. They in turn are to pray over those
who are sick, anointing them with oil in the Name of the Lord.. ...
This prayer uttered in faith will reclaim those who are ill, and the
and that its purpose was the restoration of the sick member not only to physical health but also to
spiritual health within the community of faith.
The present rite acknowledges that sickness prevents us from fulfilling our role in human society
and in the Church. On the other hand, the sick person participates in the redemptive sufferings of
Christ and provides the Church with a reminder of higher things and of the limitations of human life.
The sacrament provides the grace of the Holy Spirit, heightens trust in God, strengthens us against
temptation and anxiety, and may even restore physical health. The sacrament may also provide
forgiveness of sins, as a compliment to the sacrament of reconciliation. Anointing is not just for the
dying but for anyone who is ill in a variety of ways.
The Church discloses itself in the sacrament as the community of those who are on pilgrimage to
the reign of God, with eschatological faith and hope. The Church is the sacrament of Christ the
Healer, the One Who saves us in our human wholeness, body as well as spirit. It is at the same time
a community in need of healing, a community subject to physical as well as spiritual infirmities.
the union between Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:22-23).
The sacrament is also a decisive moment when the Church
reveals itself as the bride of Christ, as the sign that God is
irrevocably committed to the human community in and through
Christ. The new community signified and effected by marriage is
also a sign of what the Church is, a community of love, as the
Church comes into being at various levels of Christian koinonia.
The Catholic Church of the Americas sees the sacrament as a
personal consent to a union that ideally will last until death. In this
sacrament "authentic married love is taken up into divine love and
is ruled and enriched by the redemptive power of Christ and the
salvific action of the Church" (Pastoral Constitution on the Church
in the Modern World, n. 48). As spouses, a committed
fulfillment of their marriage covenant, so is the whole Church called to be faithful to its covenant with
God in Christ. As a sacrament, it is an act of worship, an expression of faith, a sign of the Church's
unity, a mode of Christ's presence. The sacrament involves the good of the whole person in that it
can enrich the expressions of body and mind with a unique dignity that is reflected in God's Church.
Yet, like our Eastern brothers and sisters, we recognize that there are weaknesses in the human
situation and therefore we do witness the marriages of those who have been divorced.
Christ even though the priesthood pf ordination and the priesthood
of baptism differ in essence and not only by degree. Still, all the
baptized are related in one form or another to the priesthood of
Christ. The ministerial priesthood of ordination consists of three
degrees of orders: episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate.
Bishops are successors to the college of the Apostles and are the
pastors of their respective dioceses. They are to oversee their
diocese with prudence, love, and stewardship. They are the
principal teacher, liturgist, and guardian of the deposit of faith
entrusted to the universal Church. They are to be the example of
name of the Church. They are to celebrate the sacred Mysteries for the building of the community
of faith and for the sake of God's Reign. They are to offer pardon on behalf of Christ and the
Church, they are to pray daily and practice what they teach and preach.
The presbyterate shares in the mystery of the bishop with the exception of ordaining other clergy.
They are, in other words, co-workers with the bishop.
The diaconate is a mystery of service that reflects the servanthood of Christ. Deacons may baptize,
witness marriages, preach, preside at communion services, and assist the poor and needy.
Through the Church, the Catholic Church of the Americas offers the opportunity for ordained
ministry to all, admitting men and women to all levels of Holy Orders without regard to marital status,
sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, or physical ability.
resurrection of Christ are made real and effective for individuals in Baptism, sins are forgiven, the
sick are ministered to and healed, human love is sanctified, the Holy Spirit is poured forth, and the
mediating priestly work of Christ is continued.
a sacrament. Among the principal ways in which the
Church manifests itself as a sacrament and acts
according to its sacramental nature is the celebration of
the sacraments themselves. But, in order for this to take
place the Church must ensure that the sacraments are
celebrated and ordered for the benefit of the whole
Church and for the building up of the Church. It is
through Orders that the whole sacramental reality of the
Church is expressed.
