How is God calling you to live a life of happiness?Every person, regardless of age, gender, and state of life, is called daily to follow the Lord. There are two parts of this call – Our State of Life (Marriage, Priesthood, Religious Life, or Committed Single Life) and our Call (The particular occupation, ministry, and faith commitments that change as we change through life).
Regardless of how God is calling you, the Sacraments are necessary means of grace to assist us both in our state of life and our particular call. Below are links to information about the celebration of the Sacraments at Saint Olaf Parish. We invite you to review these gifts of God’s Grace and contact us if it is time to request for one of these Sacraments for yourself or a loved one.
Baptism: Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons and daughters of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word.” (CCC 1213)
If God has blessed your family with the gift of a new child, we invite you to click here to begin the process of bringing your child to the waters of new life in Baptism!
For more information on receiving the Sacrament of Baptism or to have your child baptized, click here.
Penance and Reconciliation (Confession): “Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God’s mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion.”(CCC 1422)
If God is calling you to receive this Sacrament of Healing, click here to open your heart to mend what is broken in your relationship with God.
To schedule a time with Fr. James to receive this beautiful Sacrament of Healing, click here.
Eucharist: “At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet ‘in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.'” (CCC 1323)
The Eucharist is the Source and Summit of our faith, being drawn by Word and Sacrament into this great Wedding Feast of the Lamb we call the Mass. Click here to learn more about the Eucharist, preparing your heart to receive this great Sacrament, assisting your children for their first reception of Holy Communion, or access our schedules for liturgical ministries.
To learn about preparing your child for their first reception of Holy Communion or to learn about how to become Catholic if you feel called to receive the Eucharist, click here.
Confirmation: Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the “sacraments of Christian initiation,” whose unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace. For “by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.”(CCC 1285)
The special outpouring of the Holy Spirit we receive in Confirmation reaffirms that this Sacrament enflames our hearts with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord (Awe and Wonder). Whether you have a child preparing for Confirmation, are interesting in joining the Catholic Church as an adult, or simply want to gain a better understanding of the Sacrament of the Holy Spirit, click here for recourses you will need!
To learn more about our High School Confirmation program or to inquire about joining the Catholic Church, click here!
Holy Matrimony: “The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.”(CCC 1601)
Let us be the first to congratulate you if you have recently been engaged! It’s an exciting time of life, full of joy, hope, fear, and the stresses of planning for the celebration of your wedding. It would be our honor at St. Olaf’s to walk with you in this time so that the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony can be a powerful gift from the Lord you give to one another. Click here if you need to begin the process of celebrating the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony or are already married and seek to enrich your marriage.
To continue your journey of love toward that Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, click here.
Holy Orders: 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. It includes three degrees: episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate. (CCC 1536)
Has God opened your heart to the possibility of receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders to serve the Church as a Priest or Permanent Deacon? Is God inviting you not to Holy Orders, but to Consecrated Life as a woman or man religious or Consecrated Virgin? Click here for some wonderful resources to being the process of discerning whether or not God is inviting you to these beautiful states of life.
If you feel God may be calling you to the Priesthood, Permanent Diaconate, or Consecrated Life, click here!
Anointing of the Sick: “By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayer of the priests the whole Church commends those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save them. And indeed she exhorts them to contribute to the good of the People of God by freely uniting themselves to the Passion and death of Christ.”(CCC 1499)
Are you or a loved one facing a serious medical illness that could be life threatening? Are you preparing for a major medical procedure that it causing worry and anxiety? Are you or a loved one struggling with deep emotional issues that breaks your hope? Click here to fins contact information so you can speak with someone about these difficulties and discern if the Sacrament of Anoint of the Sick, a great Sacrament of Healing, is a means of God’s grace that could help you and your loved ones through these difficult times.
If you or a loved one is in need of the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, click here to schedule a time to receive this Sacrament of Healing.
