Sacraments
The seven sacraments are drawn from the love that Jesus has for all of us as shown in His life, passion, death, and resurrection. Through human ceremonies instituted by Christ, this love is shared with us by the Holy Spirit. These ceremonies offer union with God during seven significant life stages.
Each sacrament is formed by words and gestures that explain what God is doing for us. The objects that we use (water, bread, wine, oil) point to the divine love of our God, who freely chooses to share His grace with us through them. Just as Christ is fully human and divine, so the sacraments have a human and a divine aspect. The sacraments are about God’s loving involvement in our lives.
Contact the parish office at
(419) 332-7339 to register for our next baptismal preparation session.
Contact the parish office at
(419) 332-7339 to register for our next baptismal preparation session.
Baptism
In baptism, a person is born into and shares in the life of God and the Church. Through baptism, a person is adopted by the Father as a beloved son or daughter and becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit. Baptism, the first sacrament, forgives all sins and opens the way for a person to live and grow with God and the Church through the other sacraments.
First Reconciliation
The baptized often do not live up to their dignity as sons and daughters of God because of human weakness. The Sacrament of Reconciliation celebrates the forgiveness and mercy of God as the sinner humbly acknowledges and confesses his or her sins. The Sacrament also repairs a person’s unity with the Church. The priest represents both God and the Church, and speaks the consoling words of absolution in the name of both.
First Communion
No life flourishes without food and drink. The Eucharist offers the Body and Blood of Jesus as food and drink for the spirit. As a ceremony, the Eucharist is both a meal that nourishes, as well as a sacrifice in which the death of Jesus is offered to the Father. Since the graces of all the other sacraments flow from the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Eucharist is considered the source and summit of the Church.
Confirmation
As we need assistance growing and maturing in our physical and social lives, so the Sacrament of Confirmation assists a person as he or she matures in the faith. God supports his son or daughter through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts are strengths which make it possible for the person to witness faithfully and courageously to the faith through word and example.
Matrimony
The Sacrament of Marriage celebrates the human capacity for love and total dedication, and serves as a witness to Christ’s love for the Church. It involves all aspects of life: mental, physical and spiritual. While beginning with a wedding service in the presence of God and the faith community, a husband and wife continue to confer the sacrament on one another whenever they offer themselves in the service of the other. Therefore, marriage is a continual sacrament. Should the marriage be blessed with children, the grace of the sacrament is there to strengthen the couple as parents as well.
Anointing the Sick
In the course of life, humans suffer from illnesses of body, mind, and spirit. The Sacrament of Anointing (previously called the Last Rites) confers the healing touch of God on the sick and forgives sin. Sometimes the sacrament restores a person to full health. Sometimes it prepares a person to accept the reality of death. In the case of imminent death, the Eucharist is offered as food for the journey to the Father.
Holy Orders
Christ did not leave the Church without a sacrament of leadership and service. Through the various degrees of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, God raises up deacons, priests, and bishops to serve, lead, and govern the Church as a community of faith. Holy Orders is God’s gift of assistance and strength for the preaching of the Word, the administration of the sacraments, and the ministry of service leading to the holiness of all.
Rite of Christian Initiation (RCIA)
Anyone that is interested in becoming Catholic or that was baptized Catholic but never confirmed is urged to contact the parish office at (419) 332-7339 or
Elaine Fisher at efisher@sacredheart-fremont.org to learn more about this group. Sessions begin each fall.
Communion Distribution to the Sick & Homebound
Visits are made upon request.
Contact the parish office at (419) 332-7339 to schedule a visit.