Sacraments
Overview
The Sacramental life of the Church is a celebration of God at work in our lives. It is our lived experience of God that is born out in the celebration of the sacraments. These sacred signs aid us in encountering the sacred Trinity in the most important moments of our lives. Simply put, “sacraments are sacred signs instituted by Christ, to give grace” (Baltimore Catechism).
Here is a bit more detail:
Sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dipositions. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994 #1131)
If a sacrament is celebrated in accordance with the intention of the Church, the power of Christ and his Spirit acts in and through it independently of the personal holiness of the minister. Nevertheless, the fruits of the sacrament depend on the disposition of the one who receives them. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994 #1128)
“A Sacrament is a festive action in which Christians assemble to celebrate their lived experience and to call to heart their common story. The action is a symbol of God's care for us in Christ. Enacting the symbol brings us closer to one another in the Church to the Lord who is there for us.” (Tad Guzie)
And so, the Newman Community welcomes students, faculty, staff, and families into the sacramental life of the Church.