Sacraments
The seven Holy Sacraments
Anointing of the sick, Baptism, Confirmation, Matrimony, Penance, Eucharist, Holy Order
Baptism
Please call the Parish Office at (309) 496-2414 to schedule a Baptism
(You must be registered members of the parish)
"The word baptism in its origins is Greek and means "immersion" and "bath." Immersion in water is a sign of death and emersion out of the water means new life. To bathe in water is also to undergo cleansing. Saint Paul sums up this truth when he says, "You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead" (Col 2:12).
The origin and foundation of Christian Baptism is Jesus. Before starting his public ministry, Jesus submitted himself to the baptism given by John the Baptist. The waters did not purify him; he cleansed the waters. "He comes to sanctify the Jordan for our sake . . . to begin a new creation through the Spirit and water" (St. Gregory Nazianzen, Liturgy of the Hours, I, 634).
Jesus' immersion in the water is a sign for all human beings of the need to die to themselves to do God's will. Jesus did not need to be baptized because he was totally faithful to the will of his Father and free from sin. However, he wanted to show his solidarity with human beings in order to reconcile them to the Father.
By commanding his disciples to baptize all nations, he established the means by which people would die to sin—Original and actual—and begin to live a new life with God."
~ USCCB/Baptism & RCIA ~
For more information about Baptism, please visit the USSCB Website, Click Here.
Confirmation
Confirmation, together with Baptism and Eucharist, form the Sacraments of Initiation that are all intimately connected. In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the baptized person is "sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit" and is strengthened for service to the Body of Christ.
We have a very enriched 2 year Confirmation program here at St. John's in Rapids City. The 7th & 8th grade students meet every Wednesday night for classes at 6:15 p.m. at St. John's Parish Hall.
To see the 2014-2015 Confirmation Schedule, Click Here.
To see the Confirmation Interview Questions administered by Fr. Glenn Harris, Click Here.
To see the Confirmation Outline Essays, Click Here.
Matrimony
Call the Parish Office before making wedding arrangements. Marriage preparation requires 8 months.
"The Sacrament of Marriage is a covenant, which is more than a contract. Covenant always expresses a relationship between persons. The marriage covenant refers to the relationship between the husband and wife, a permanent union of persons capable of knowing and loving each other and God. The celebration of marriage is also a liturgical act, appropriately held in a public liturgy at church. Catholics are urged to celebrate their marriage within the Eucharistic Liturgy." (USCCB Website)
For more information about Matrimony, please visit the USCCB website, Click Here.
Penance
Saturdays 4:00 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. - St. John
Sundays 7:30 a.m. - St. Mary Hall
To schedule an appointment, please contact our Parish Office.
"Jesus entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to the Church. The Sacrament of Penance is God's gift to us so that any sin committed after Baptism can be forgiven. In confession we have the opportunity to repent and recover the grace of friendship with God. It is a holy moment in which we place ourselves in his presence and honestly acknowledge our sins, especially mortal sins. With absolution, we are reconciled to God and the Church. The Sacrament helps us stay close to the truth that we cannot live without God. "In him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). While all the Sacraments bring us an experience of the mercy that comes from Christ's dying and rising, it is the Sacrament of Reconciliation that is the unique Sacrament of mercy." USCCB Website
For more information about the Sacrament of Penance, please visit the USCCB website, Click Here
Holy Orders
Those who receive the sacrament of Holy Orders -- as a deacon, priest or bishop -- areconsecrated in Christ's name "to feed the Church by the word and grace of God."
Please see more information about vocations to the priesthood and diaconate in the Catholic Diocese, Click Here
Those who receive the sacrament of Holy Orders -- as a deacon, priest or bishop -- areconsecrated in Christ's name "to feed the Church by the word and grace of God."
Please see more information about vocations to the priesthood and diaconate in the Catholic Diocese, Click Here
The saving words and deeds of Jesus Christ are the foundations of what he would communicate in the Sacraments through the ministers of the Church.
Guided by the Holy Spirit, the Church recognizes the existence of Seven Sacraments instituted by the Lord.
They are the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist), the Sacraments of Healing (Penance, and the Anointing of the Sick), and the Sacraments at the Service of Communion (Marriage and Holy Orders).
Through the Sacraments, God shares his holiness with us so that we, in turn, can make the world holier.