Receive a sacrament

Christ instituted the sacraments of the new law. The seven sacraments touch all the stages and all the important moments of Christian life: they give birth and increase, healing and mission to the Christian’s life of faith. There is thus a certain resemblance between the stages of natural life and the stages of the spiritual life.

Sacraments of Initiation

Baptism

Parents who would like to initiate their children into the faith through this sacrament should speak with the pastor.

Adults who would like to be baptized should refer to our RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) page. For more information about preparation for baptism, please contact the parish office.

Eucharist

Our parish prepares children to receive their First Holy Communion in the third grade.

First Holy Communion will be celebrated on the first Sunday of May during the 11:15 AM Mass (English).

Baptized adults who have not yet received First Communion should refer to our RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) page.

For more information about preparation for First Holy Communion or RCIA, please contact the parish office.

Confirmation

The youth of the parish receive the Sacrament of Confirmation at the age of 15 or 16 after two years of preparation. Typically, first-year Confirmation students are in ninth grade and second-year Confirmation students are in tenth grade.

For more information about preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation, please contact the parish office.

Sacraments of Healing

Reconciliation

Confessions are heard 2-3 times a week:

Friday	6:00 PM (English & Polish) 11:30 AM (First Friday Only, English & Polish)
Saturday	3:00 PM (English & Polish)

Our parish prepares children to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time in the third grade before they receive their First Holy Communion.

How to go to confession:

1. Do an examination of conscience. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you identify your sins.
   • You can find an examination of conscience online.
   • Here is a detailed examination of conscience.
2. Enter the confessional. Sit down or kneel.
3. Make the sign of the cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
4. Say, Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. My last confession was [number] of [weeks/ months/years] ago. These are my sins…
5. After you finish telling the priest your sins, say, I am sorry for all my sins.
6. After you have said that you are sorry, the priest will talk to you and give you a penance. Listen to what he says. He will invite you to pray the Act of Contrition:
   

   O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you,
   and I detest all my sins because of your just punishments,
   but most of all because they offend you, my God,
   who are all good and deserving of all my love.
   I firmly resolve with the help of your grace to sin no more
   and to avoid the near occasion of sin.
   Amen.

7. The priest will pray the prayer of absolution, through which your sins will be forgiven. At the end of the prayer of absolution, you will say, Amen.
8. The priest will end by saying, Go in peace.
9. You respond by saying, Thanks be to God.
10. Leave the confessional and do the penance given by the priest.

Anointing of the Sick

It is our privilege to pray with the sick and to administer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Please feel free to contact the parish office when the need arises.

Sacraments of Service

Matrimony

Couples interested in entering into the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony (Marriage) are asked to contact the pastor to discuss premarital preparation.

For more information about preparation for the Sacrament of Matrimony, please contact the parish office.

Holy Orders

To learn more about the priesthood, you can visit hartfordpriest.com, email vocations@aohct.org, or call 860-761-7456.