“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:14

We hold that God’s grace – that is, divine power – is mediated through material things in exactly the way that Jesus Himself established. God makes it possible for us to encounter Him, to meet Him, to experience Him.

SACRAMENTS are an extension of Jesus’ own presence and power. They are no less than an encounter with the Risen Lord Jesus. For Catholics, there are 7 such personal encounters:

Baptism

Reconciliation

Eucharist

Confirmation

Anointing of the Sick

Marriage

Funerals

Holy Orders

Adoration

Worship

The seven Sacraments that Christ Himself established for our celebration and encounter of Him touch all the stages and most important moments of Christian life: they commence the Christian life and bring forth healing, deepen joy and define mission. Each of the seven Sacraments has its own vital place, although the Holy Eucharist stands at the center of them all.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Sacrament

An efficacious sign of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us through the work of the Holy Spirit (774, 1131). The Sacraments (called “Mysteries” in the Eastern [Catholic] Churches are seven in number: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance (or Reconciliation), Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony (1210).