Presentation B.V.M.
Celebration of Sacraments

Sacrament of Baptism


Sacrament of Reconciliation


Sacrament of Marriage

Sacrament of Baptism

• First & Third Sunday of the Month at 1:00pm
  • Ideally, godparents should both be practicing Catholics. However, if this is not possible, there must always be at least one practicing Catholic godparent. Non-Catholics may stand as a witness to the Baptism. Non-Christians may not stand as godparents.
  • To be eligible to be a godparent at Baptism, the individuals: 
    1. must have already celebrated their sixteenth birthday
    2. must have already received Confirmation and must be regularly participating in the Sunday liturgy
    3. must be presently living in conformity with Catholic doctrine and discipline
    4. must receive a certificate of eligibility from the pastor of their home parish
• Arrangements for Baptism include an interview with the parents and a class for both parents and god-parents. To avoid unnecessary delay in baptizing your baby, these arrangements may be completed prior to your child's birth.  Please contact the Rectory and speak with Sister Joan Melley.
• Baptismal Instructions: 2nd Monday of each month at 7:00 PM in the rectory for parents and Godparents

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Sacrament of Reconciliation

• Saturdays: 4:00pm - 4:45pm
• Anytime by Appointment

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Sacrament of Marriage

• Overview
• Holiness of Marriage and the Family
• Church Celebrations

We believe that the Sacrament of Marriage is one of the seven Sacraments given by Jesus for the life of the Church. Each of the sacraments directs an individual's life in different ways towards Jesus and eternal life. The Sacrament of Marriage raises the already good, natural love that a man and woman share with each other to a supernatural level. There, one man and one woman become the channels of God's grace and presence to one another. By God's grace, they become the image of Jesus in each other's lives. Thus, the relationship becomes sacred and lasts into eternity, as does the love of Jesus for the Church. This is the faith of the Church.

1. Both parties meet together with the parish priest at least six months before the actual celebration of the Sacrament for an initial interview and to reserve a date; if the celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage is to take place on a Saturday, it must begin no later than 2:00 PM
2. Both parties must be free to enter into the Sacrament of Marriage for the first time. If either party was married before, that previous marriage must be declared null by the Church before scheduling a date for the celebration of marriage in the Church

N.B. - a previous marriage will always be presumed valid in the eyes of the Church until evidence is found that indicates that the marriage no longer exists or that it was not valid from the beginning

3. If the former spouse has died, and there were no other marriages, a death certificate should be presented to the priest making the arrangements
4. If an annulment was received from the Church for a previous marriage, that document, itself, should be presented to the priest making the arrangements
5. If a Catholic intends to marry a non-Catholic, a dispensation from the Church needs to be obtained through the priest making the arrangements
6. Baptismal certificates for each Catholic party must be presented to the priest making the arrangements; these certificates must be newly issued not more than six months before the actual date of the marriage celebration
7. Testimony as to the “freedom to marry” for each party must be received by the priest making the arrangements
8. If either of the parties would like a visiting priest to witness the marriage, this should be discussed at the initial interview with the parish priest.
9. Should the couples wish to celebrate the marriage before a non-Catholic minister, arrangements must be made at least six months before the date with the parish priest. All of the above preparations should be taken before permission can be granted. The marriage must take place in a worship site, i.e., church or synagogue. Permission will not be granted for a celebration to take place in other places, e.g., in a park or at the shore.

 

Holiness of Marriage
and the Family

Gaudium et Spes, # 48, Second Vatican Council

The intimate partnership of life and the love which constitutes the married state has been established by the Creator and endowed by Him with its own proper laws: it is rooted in the contract of its partners, that is, in their irrevocable personal consent. It is an institution confirmed by the divine law and receiving its stability, even in the eyes of society, from the human act by which the partners mutually surrender themselves to each other; for the good of the partners, of the children, and of society. This sacred bond no longer depends on human decision alone. For God, Himself, is the author of marriage and has endowed it with various benefits and with various ends in view: all of these have a very important bearing on the continuation of the human race, on the personal development and eternal destiny of every member of the family, on the dignity, stability, peace, and prosperity of the family and of the whole human race. By its very nature, the institution of marriage and married love is ordered to the procreation and education of the offspring and it is in them that it finds its crowning glory. Thus the man and woman, who “are no longer two but one” (Mt. 19:6), help and serve each other by their marriage partnership; they become conscious of their unity and experience it more deeply from day to day. The intimate union of marriage, as a mutual giving of two persons, and the good of the children demand total fidelity from the spouses and require an unbreakable unity between them.

Christ our Lord has abundantly blessed this love, which is rich in its various features, coming as it does from the spring of divine love and modeled on Christ's own union with the Church. Just as of old, God encountered his people with a covenant of love and fidelity, so our Savior, the Spouse of the Church, now encounters Christian spouses through the sacrament of marriage. He abides with them in order that by their mutual self-giving, spouses will love each other with enduring fidelity, as He loved the Church and delivered Himself for it. Authentic married love is caught up into divine love and is directed and enriched by the redemptive power of Christ and the salvific action of the Church, with the result that the spouses are effectively led to God and are helped and strengthened in their lofty role as fathers and mothers. Spouses, therefore, are fortified and, as it were, consecrated for the duties and dignity of their state by a special sacrament; fulfilling their conjugal and family role by virtue of this sacrament, spouses are penetrated with the spirit of Christ and their whole life is suffused by faith, hope, and charity; thus they increasingly further their own perfection and their mutual sanctification, and together they render glory to God.

 

Celebration of the
Sacrament of Marriage at
Presentation BVM Parish

1. If the celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage is to take place on Saturday, it must begin no later than 2:00 PM. Because the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated at 4:00 PM , the wedding party, family and friends must be out of the church by that time
2. Photographers and videographers may not enter the sanctuary at any time during the celebration; if pictures are to be taken after the celebration, proper respect for the sanctuary must be maintained: the altar may never be used as a prop
3. The unity candle is not allowed in the celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage
4. The aisle runner may not be used due to the danger it represents to older people
5. Only Catholics who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation may proclaim the Scriptures or offer the Prayers of the Faithful at the celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage
6. Only faithful Catholics may participate in the Offertory procession at Mass
7. During the celebration of Mass, only Catholics who are properly disposed may receive Holy Communion
8. Only Sacred Scripture chosen by the Church for the Sacrament for Marriage may be used at the celebration of marriage either during Mass or outside of Mass; no other readings may be used or substituted for the Scriptures
9. All music to be used at the celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage must be liturgical and appropriate to the occasion; arrangements for music and for any visiting musicians must be cleared through Mrs. Melanie Capoferri
10. The date and time of the rehearsal should be arranged with the priest who will preside at the celebration.

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