BAPTISM

Baptism is a moment of new beginnings. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments.”

Who can be Baptized?

Any unbaptized person can receive Baptism. Most Catholics are baptized as infants or young children (with parents intending to raise the child in the faith), but anyone of any age is welcome. Adults typically prepare for Baptism through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), a journey of learning, reflection, and spiritual growth to help them fully receive the sacrament’s graces. Older children prepare through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Children of Catechetical Age (RCIC), with formation following the general pattern of the ordinary catechumenate as much as possible.

Infant Baptism requires a time of preparation for parents and godparents. Godparents must be confirmed Catholics, at least 16 years old, and active in the faith.

For more information or to schedule baptismal preparation, contact the Cathedral office at 506-653-6820.

Why Baptism Matters

As doorway into a life of faith, hope, and communion of love with God, it is the foundation of the Christian life, marking the start of a lifelong journey in relationship with Christ and his Church.

Through Baptism:

  • We are freed from sin and begin anew as adopted sons and daughters of God.

  • We become members of the Christian community, united with Christ and his mission.

  • We are invited to grow in faith, hope, and love, preparing the way for other sacraments.

EUCHARIST

The Holy Eucharist completes Christian initiation, and all other sacraments, ministries, and Christian works are bound up with it and oriented to it. When we share in the Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist we are drawn into communion with Christ and made one body in the Church. Thus, it is rightly called Holy Communion for we participate in the unity for which Jesus prayed at the Last Supper (see John 17). The Holy Mass is the liturgical context within which we celebrate the Eucharistic sacrifice of thanksgiving and the mystery of our communion with Christ and the Church.

All are welcome to attend Mass and pray with the community, however, reception of the Eucharist is reserved for those who are in full communion with the Catholic Church and who are in a state of grace with no unconfessed serious sin. Those who desire to receive Jesus in Holy Communion but are uncertain of their freedom to do so should first receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation or speak with a priest.

The Eucharist, often called the Blessed Sacrament, is worshiped outside the context of the Mass in the practice of Eucharistic Adoration and wherever Jesus’ Eucharistic presence is reserved in any Tabernacle throughout the world.

Why Eucharist Matters

At the hands of the priest and by the words of consecration instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper, the gifts of bread and wine are literally changed into the Body and Blood of Christ to nourish and strengthen the faithful. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life, the heart of the Church, because the Eucharist is the fulness of Jesus Christ in his body, blood, soul, and divinity. The word Eucharist is derived from the Greek eucharistia and means “thanksgiving.”

Through the Eucharist:

  • We become more deeply, intimately, and perfectly united with Christ.

  • We are nourished, renewed, and strengthened in the spiritual life received at Baptism

  • We become united with one another in the Mystical Body of Christ, for the Eucharist makes the Church.

  • We are strengthened in charity and our venial sins are wiped away.

  • We are separated from sin and strengthened against future serious sin.

  • We remember and become more deeply committed to the poor.

CONFIRMATION

Confirmation is a sacrament of strengthening and empowering in the Holy Spirit.  As the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, “by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence, they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed". It complements and completes the graces of Baptism which, along with the Eucharist and Confirmation, make up the Sacraments of Initiation into the Catholic Church.

Whether you were baptized as a child or are exploring faith for the first time, Confirmation is a beautiful, necessary step in your spiritual journey—a chance to say “yes” to God’s plan for your life and be equipped for the adventure ahead. In the Diocese of Saint John, candidates celebrate Confirmation in grade nine or later, after suitable instruction, usually a two-year process. For more information on our Confirmation program at the Cathedral, contact religiouseducation.cic@gmail.com.

Adult confirmation takes place in the context of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). For more information about RCIA, contact 506-653-6820.

Why Confirmation Matters

Confirmation deepens your relationship with God, and helps you step fully into your unique God-given mission. Through Confirmation, you receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit in fullness and the grace to live your faith boldly.

Through the Sacrament of Confirmation:

  • We receive a “special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost” (CCC, 1302).

  • We receive an increase and deepening of baptismal grace.

  • Our identity as children of God becomes more deeply rooted.

  • We are more firmly united to Christ.

  • We receive an increase in the gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, holy fear of the Lord).

  • Our bond to the Church is made more perfect.

  • We are given a special strength and graces of the Holy Spirit to become missionary disciples, living and proclaiming the Gospel in service of God and neighbour.

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SACRAMENTS OF HEALING