Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons 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. This sacrament is called Baptism, after the central rite by which it is carried out: to baptize (Greek baptizein) means to "plunge" or "immerse"; the "plunge" into the water symbolizes the catechumen's burial into Christ's death, from which he rises up by resurrection with him, as "a new creature." This sacrament is also called "the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit," for it signifies and actually brings about the birth of water and the Spirit without which no one "can enter the kingdom of God." "This bath is called enlightenment, because those who receive this [catechetical] instruction are enlightened in their understanding . . . ." Having received in Baptism the Word, "the true light that enlightens every man," the person baptized has been "enlightened," he becomes a "son of light," indeed, he becomes "light" himself: Baptism is God's most beautiful and magnificent gift. . . .We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal, and most precious gift. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own; grace since it is given even to the guilty; Baptism because sin is buried in the water; anointing for it is priestly and royal as those who are anointed; enlightment because it radiates light; clothing since it veils our sham; bath becasue it washes; and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God's Lordship. (CCC 2113-216)

Information on infant baptism may be obtained by calling the office secretary during office hours.  Children age 7 years and above must attend religious education classes and celebrate baptism at their second CCD year.  The baptism of adults follows the norms set forth in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (R.C.I.A.)

Linda Woodring (English Baptism Instructor) 
Phone: 210.416.8327

Marta Bocanegra (Spanish Baptism Instructor)
Phone: 210.519.9321


 

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, our Pasch. The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being. It is the culmination both of God's action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit...By the Eucharistic celebration we already unite ourselves with the heavenly liturgy and anticipate eternal life, when God will be all in all.  In brief, the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith: 'Our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking.'" (Catechism of the Catholic Church (1324-1327). 

Students prepare for First Holy Communion by attending a minimum of two years in the religious education classes.  Those who are older attend special classes on Sacraments.  Classes generally begin in September and end in May.  Registration begins in August.

Coordinator of Religious Education - Josie Dobroski
Email: mysvdpparish.re@gmail.com  

 

LEARN ABOUT First Eucharist

"You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. One must appreciate the magnitude of the gift God has given us in the sacraments of Christian initiation in order to grasp the degree to which sin is excluded for him who has "put on Christ." But the apostle John also says: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." and the Lord himself taught us to pray: "Forgive us our trespasses," linking our forgiveness of one another's offenses to the forgiveness of our sins that God will grant us. Conversion to Christ, the new birth of Baptism, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the Body and Blood of Christ received as food have made us "holy and without blemish," just as the Church herself, the Bride of Christ, is "holy and without blemish." Nevertheless the new life received in Christian initiation has not abolished the frailty and weakness of human nature, nor the inclination to sin that tradition calls concupiscence, which remains in the baptized such that with the help of the grace of Christ they may prove themselves in the struggle of Christian life. This is the struggle of conversion directed toward holiness and eternal life to which the Lord never ceases to call us. (CCC 1425-1426)

Aside from Thursday and Saturday Confession schedule, the parish schedules Penance Services during the seasons of Advent and Lent.  Announcements concerning these services are made during Masses and through the parish bulletins. 

LEARN ABOUT Reconciliation

"Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:14-17). Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace; it is the sacrament which gives the Holy Spirit in order to root us more deeply in the divine filiation, incorporate us more firmly into Christ, strengthen our bond with the Church, associate us more closely with her mission, and help us bear witness to the Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds. Confirmation, like Baptism, imprints a spiritual mark or indelible character on the Christian's soul; for this reason one can receive this sacrament only once in one's life... In the Latin Church this sacrament is administered when the age of reason has been reached, and its celebration is ordinarily reserved to the bishop, thus signifying that this sacrament strengthens the ecclesial bond. A candidate for Confirmation who has attained the age of reason must profess the faith, be in the state of grace, have the intention of receiving the sacrament, and be prepared to assume the role of disciple and witness to Christ, both within the ecclesial community and in temporal affairs. The essential rite of Confirmation is anointing the forehead of the baptized with sacred chrism...., together with the laying on of the minister's hand and the words: "Accipe signaculum doni Spiritus Sancti" (Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.) in the Roman Rite...(CCC 1315-1320)

Two years of classes, retreats and service ministries prepare high school students for Confirmation.  Generally, two adult Confirmation classes are offered each year, one in the fall and the other in the spring.   

Confirmations for the 2021 year was on April 25th at 7:00 PM
Presider: Bishop Gary W. Yanak

Resources

LEARN ABOUT Confirmation

"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. Sacred Scripture begins with the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God and concludes with a vision of "the wedding-feast of the Lamb. Scripture speaks throughout of marriage and its 'mystery,' its institution and the meaning God has given it, its origin and its end, its various realizations throughout the history of salvation, the difficulties arising from sin and its renewal "in the Lord" in the New Covenant of Christ and the Church." (CCC 1601.1602).

Information on the Sacrament of Marriage may be obtained by calling the office secretary during office hours.  It is a requirement that the preparations be done no less than six months before the proposed date of the wedding.

Collecting Documents for Prenuptial Packets

LEARN ABOUT Matrimony

The sacrament of anointing is the proper sacrament for those Christians whose health is seriously imparied by sickness or old age. It may be celebrated in the home, in a hospital or institution, or in church. While the sacrament will be celebrated more frequently outside Mass, the celebration may also take place within Mass. Through the sacrament of anointing the Church supports the sick in their struggle against illness and continues Christ's messianic work of healing. All who are united in the bond of a common baptism and a common faith are joined together in the body of Christ sincce what happens to one member affects all. The sacrament effectively expresses the share that each one has in the sufferings of others. (Pastoral Care of the Sick, 126). 

The priests of the parish visit and anoint sick people according to pastoral practice, as requested.  Beyond office hours and in cases of emergency, a number can be called through the phone trunk line.  

We also administer the anointing of the sick every first Saturday at the 5:00 PM English and the 7:00 PM Spanish Vigil Masses. 

LEARN ABOUT Anointing of the Sick

Learn About 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. The word order in Roman antiquity designated an established civil body, especially a governing body. Ordinatio means incorporation into an ordo. In the Church there are established bodies which Tradition, not without a basis in Sacred Scripture, has since ancient times called taxeis (Greek) or ordines. And so the liturgy speaks of the ordo episcoporum, the ordo presbyterorum, the ordo diaconorum. Other groups also receive this name of ordo: catechumens, virgins, spouses, widows,. . . .Integration into one of these bodies in the Church was accomplished by a rite called ordinatio, a religious and liturgical act which was a consecration, a blessing or a sacrament. Today the word "ordination" is reserved for the sacramental act which integrates a man into the order of bishops, presbyters, or deacons, and goes beyond a simple election, designation, delegation, or institution by the community, for it confers a gift of the Holy Spirit that permits the exercise of a "sacred power" (sacra potestas) which can come only from Christ himself through his Church. Ordination is also called consecratio, for it is a setting apart and an investiture by Christ himself for his Church. The laying on of hands by the bishop, with the consecratory prayer, constitutes the visible sign of this ordination. (CCC, 1536-1538).

If you are interested in a vocation in Holy Orders or Religious life, contact our pastor, Father Babychan. More information can be found at the vocation website for the Archdiocese at https://savocations.org/

Fishers of Men
Holy Orders 101 Meaning of Ordination