THE
American Catholic
CHURCH
Celebrating One Hundred Years, 1915-2015
Weddings
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Our Church provides different forms of celebrating the Catholic Rite of Marriage. The celebration will normally take place within a Mass, but there are other forms, which do not include a Mass, and may or may not include communion.
You should have a conversation with the priest or deacon who will witness your marriage vows and determine which type of cermony will be best for you and your spouse.
We support marraige equality, and offer our wedding services to all couples regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Funerals & Memorial Services
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"At the death of a Christian, confident in its belief that death is not the end, nor does it break the bonds forged in life, the Church intercedes on behalf of the deceased The Church also ministers to the sorrowing and consoles them in the funeral rites with the comforting Word of God and the Sacrament of the Eucharist." Order of Christian Funerals, # 4
We offer a Vigil Service, a funeral liturgy Mass, (when Mass cannot be celebrated, a funeral liturgy outside Mass can be celebrated at a church or in the funeral home) and a Rite of Committal celebrated at the place of committal, that is, beside the open grave or place of interment.
Pastoral Care / Chaplaincy
We also offer pastoral care and chaplaincy services. Please inquire for further details
Holy Eucharist
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The Holy Eucharist / Catholic Mass is considered the most important and highest form of prayer.
The center of the Mass is its second part, the Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist. During this time, we share in the body and blood of Jesus in the form of the bread and wine passed out to the congregation. According to the Bible, this is done in remembrance of Christ, however, "The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice because it re-presents (makes present) the sacrifice of the cross, because it is its memorial and because it applies its fruit... The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist are one single sacrifice: The victim is one and the same: offered through the ministry of priests, only the manner of offering is different. In this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner . . . this sacrifice is truly propitiatory." excerpts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
"By the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation." That is, we believe that the real presence of Christ is in the Eucharist. By sharing in the Eucharistic meal, we are fulfilling John 6:53: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." Counsel of Trent
We offer Holy Communion to all who wish to receive it; we bar no one from Christ's table! We welcome divorced, married, single, men, women and children, of all genders and gender identities
with no regard to sexual orientation, or political affiliation. We only ask that you approach the altar with respect, and self-reflection and try to partake of communion in a spirit of thanksgiving and joy.
Other Sacraments
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The Latin word sacramentum means "a sign of the sacred." The seven sacraments are ceremonies that point to what is sacred, significant and important for Christians. They are special occasions for experiencing God's saving presence.
Baptism
For Catholics, the Sacrament of Baptism is the first step in a lifelong journey of commitment and discipleship. Whether we are baptized as infants or adults, Baptism is the Church's way of celebrating and enacting the embrace of God.
Confirmation
Confirmation is a Catholic Sacrament of mature Christian commitment and a deepening of baptismal gifts. It is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation for Catholics. It is most often associated with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Reconciliation
The Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation (also known as Penance, or Penance and Reconciliation) has three elements: conversion, confession and celebration. In it we find God's unconditional forgiveness; as a result we are called to forgive others.
Holy Orders
In the Sacrament of Holy Orders leading to Ordination, the ordained vows to lead other Catholics by bringing them the sacraments (especially the Eucharist), by proclaiming the Gospel, and by providing other means to holiness. Holy Orders are open to men and women, married or unmarried, regardless of sexual orientation, without vows of celibacy.
Anointing of the Sick
The Catholic Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, formerly known as Last Rites or Extreme Unction, is a ritual of healing appropriate not only for physical but also for mental and spiritual sickness.