The Sacraments
The sacraments are outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace. Grace is God's favor towards us, unearned and undeserved; by grace God forgives our sins, enlightens our minds, stirs our hearts, and strengthens our wills. We recognizes seven sacraments: two Dominical Sacraments instituted by Our Lord in the Gospel, and five Ecclesiastical Sacraments instituted by the early Church.
The great sacraments of the Gospel are Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. The other five are those of vocation: Confirmation, Ordination to Holy Orders, and Holy Matrimony; and those of healing: Reconciliation of a Penitent, and Unction of the Sick. These five sacraments are means of grace, but they differ from Baptism and the Holy Eucharist in that they are not necessary for all persons in the same way Baptism and the Eucharist are.
Holy Baptism
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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 outward and visible sign in Baptism is water, in which the person is baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The inward and spiritual grace in Baptism is union with Christ in his death and resurrection, birth into God's family the Church, forgiveness of sins, and new life in the Holy Spirit. It is required that we renounce Satan, repent of our sins, and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We baptize on the Baptismal Feasts of the Church, which are: the Baptism of our Lord (Winter), the Vigil of Easter (Spring), Pentecost (Summer), and All Saints' (Autumn). If you would like to be baptized or have you child baptized, speak with Father Coey.
Holy Eucharist
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The Holy Eucharist is the sacrament commanded by Christ for the continual remembrance of his life, death, and resurrection, until his coming again. The Eucharist is the way by which the sacrifice of Christ is made present, and in which he unites us to his one offering of himself. This sacrament is called the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion, the Divine Liturgy, and the Mass. The outward and visible sign in the Eucharist is bread and wine, given and received according to Christ's command. The inward and spiritual grace in the Holy Communion is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ given to his people, and received by faith. In the Eucharist we receive the forgiveness of our sins, the strengthening of our union with Christ and one another, and the foretaste of the heavenly banquet which is our nourishment in eternal life. In order to receive the Holy Eucharist it is required that we should be baptized, examine our lives, repent of our sins, and be in love and charity with all people.
Ecclesiastical Sacraments
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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. 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. Holy Matrimony is Christian marriage, in which 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. Reconciliation of a Penitent, or Confession, 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. Unction is the rite of anointing the sick with oil, and the laying on of hands, by which God's grace is given for the healing of spirit, mind, and body.
