SACRAMENTS
& PRAYER
Sacraments and prayer are at the very heart of the Catholic Church and the spiritual life. Through them, we encounter the person of Christ, and receive healing, strength, and grace.
PRAYER
& DEVOTIONS
WAYS TO PRAY:
The Catholic Church provides us with many different ways to pray and worship. St. John Paul II Parish has the following prayers and devotions available weekly for you.
THE ROSARY
Sunday 7:00 PM
See parish bulletin for location
ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
St. Adalbert: Thursday 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Nativity BVM: Tuesday 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
MIRACULOUS MEDAL DEVOTIONS
Nativity BVM: Saturday after the 8:00 AM Mass
WHAT IS PRAYER?
Prayer, though it takes many different forms, is how we come to know and be transformed by God, because prayer is a personal encounter with Him. Like building a relationship with a friend, in order to know who God is, we have to sit with Him, speak to Him, and listen to Him. Prayer is doing these things. And when we spend time with God through prayer, we grow our relationship with Him, which allows us to come to a better understanding of who He is, who we are, and how we should live our lives.
Some ways to pray include reading the scriptures, saying the rosary, or simply taking time to tell God about what is going well in our life, what we are struggling with, or asking Him for the things we need. Prayer does not need to be fancy or complicated. As St. John Damascene says, any time we "raise our minds and hearts to God" we are praying.
No matter how we pray, it is important to know that we are never the ones who "start" a relationship with God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:
"God calls man first. Man may forget his Creator or hide far from his face; he may run after idols or accuse the deity of having abandoned him; yet the living and true God tirelessly calls each person to that mysterious encounter known as prayer. In prayer, the faithful God's initiative of love always comes first; our own first step is always a response. As God gradually reveals himself and reveals man to himself, prayer appears as a reciprocal call, a covenant drama. Through words and actions, this drama engages the heart. It unfolds throughout the whole history of salvation" (CCC 2567).
BAPTISM
Baptism is the first of the Sacraments of Initiation. When we are baptized, often as infants, the stain of Adam and Eve's original sin is wiped clean, we are initiated into the body of Christ, and made children of God.
Please see the form below for information about how to schedule a baptism for your child.
CONFESSION
Confession, also referred to as Reconciliation or Penance, is the sacrament in which we come before Christ, working through the priest, and express our sins so that Christ can forgive them and reunite us to Himself. Like Anointing of the Sick, Confession is a healing sacrament, ordered towards bringing us back into relationship with God.
No matter how long it has been, you are always welcome back to the Sacrament of Confession and the Church. Below is a pamphlet to walk you through the process of Confession.
HOLY COMMUNION
At every Mass, Christ is truly, literally, present--His body, blood, soul, and divinity--in the Eucharist. When we receive Holy Communion at Mass, we receive Jesus Himself. The Catechism says, "The Eucharist is 'the source and summit of the Christian life' 'The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself..." (CCC 1324).
CONFIRMATION
The Sacrament of Confirmation is one of the Sacraments of Initiation. In Confirmation we receive an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and are united more firmly with Christ and His Church, have the gifts of the Holy Spirit strengthened within us, and, "It gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross" (CCC1303).
Please contact Hanna Goclowska at hanna@stadalbert.org with questions regarding registering your child for confirmation.
MARRIAGE
In the beautiful Sacrament of Marriage, a man and a woman enter into a covenant bond with one another, becoming an image of the Holy Trinity to the world, and promising to give themselves totally to one another, to be faithful, and open to life. The Catechism explains, "God who created man out of love also calls him to love--the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being. For man is created in the image and likeness of God who is himself love. Since God created him man and woman, their mutual love becomes an image of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves man. It [marriage] is good, very good" (CCC 1604).
HOLY ORDERS
Holy Orders is when a man, out of love for Christ and His Church, gives himself in service to the Church as a priest. The Catechism explains, "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" (CCC1536).
Wondering if you have a call to the priesthood? Talk with Fr. Olson after any mass, or email him at: fatherolson88@gmail.com
ANOINTING OF THE SICK
The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is intended by the Church to be a comfort and strength to people during their illnesses. The Sacrament is separate from Last Rights, and so a person does not require a terminal diagnosis to receive it. Please call the Parish Office to request the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.
Parish Office Number: (215) 739-3500
For emergencies or after hours, please use: (267) 332-8151
DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT
THE SACRAMENTS & PRAYER?
