Sacraments, Sacramental Rites & Pastoral Offices
Sacraments are the outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain means by which we receive that grace. The two great sacraments are Holy Baptism and the Holy Eucharist.
Holy Baptism
Holy Baptism is the sacrament by which God adopts us as his children and makes us members of Christ's Body, the Church, and inheritors of the kingdom of God. --The Book of Common Prayer.
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The Holy Eucharist
The Holy Eucharist is the sacrament commanded by Christ for the continual remembrance of his life, death, and resurrection, until his coming again. -- The Book of Common Prayer
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Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage
Holy Matrimony is Christian marriage, in which the woman and man enter into a life-long union, make their vows before God and the Church, and receive the grace and blessing of God to help them fulfill their vows. --The Book of Common Prayer
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Confirmation
Confirmation is the rite in which we express a mature commitment to Christ, and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop. -- The Book of Common Prayer
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Reconciliation of a Penitent
Reconciliation of a Penitent, or Penance, is the rite in which those who repent of their sins may confess them to God in the presence of a priest, and receive the assurance of pardon and the grace of absolution. -- The Book of Common Prayer
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Ministration to the Sick
Unction is the rite of anointing the sick with oil, or the laying on of hands, by which God's grace is given for the healing of spirit, mind, and body. -- The Book of Common Prayer
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Ministration at the Time of Death
When a person is near death, the Minister of the Congregation should be notified, in order that the ministrations of the Church may be provided.
The Burial of the Dead
The Funeral or Memorial Service is not itself a sacrament, but celebrates and remembers all that has been sacred in the life of the one who has died. When a Christian dies, the service of the Burial of the Dead-- whether a Requiem or a Mass of the Resurrection-- celebrates the person's participation in the sacraments. The liturgy affirms that as in Holy Baptism we die and rise again in Christ, so in death, we die and rise again in Jesus Christ to life eternal. --The Book of Common Prayer
Read More about Funerals & Memorial Services
Ordination
Ordination is the rite in which God gives authority and the grace of the Holy Spirit to those being made bishops, priests, and deacons, through prayer and the laying on of hands by bishops. -- The Book of Common Prayer
Read More about Ordination
Ministration at the Time of Death
When a person is near death, the Minister of the Congreation should be notified, in order that the ministrations of the Church may be provided. -- The Book of Common Prayer
