Saint Ambrose 

The origin and foundation of Christian Baptism is Jesus.  Before starting his public ministry, Jesus submitted himself to the baptism given by John the Baptist.  The waters did not purify him; he cleansed the waters.  . . .  Jesus did not need to be baptized because he was totally faithful to the will of his Father and free from sin.  However, he wanted to show his solidarity with human beings in order to reconcile them to the Father. By commanding his disciples to baptize all nations, he established the means by which people would die to sin – Original and actual – and begin to live a new life with God.

In Baptism, the Holy Spirit moves us to answer Christ's call to holiness. In Baptism, we are asked to walk by the light of Christ and to trust in his wisdom. We are invited to submit our hearts to Christ with ever deeper love.

Basic Guidelines and Information for Infant and young children Baptism:

In order that a child be baptized, it is necessary that the parents consent, or at least one of them, or someone legally standing in their place, and that there is reasonable hope that the child will be brought up in the Catholic faith.

GODPARENTS: A person may only have one or two godparents (also called sponors); if two are chosen, they must be male and female.  In order for sommeone to eligible as a godparent they must be chosen by the parents, have the ability and the intention to fulfill the role, be at least 16 years of age, and be a confirmed Roman Catholic, who has already received the Most Holy Eucharist, is leasing a life in harmony with the Catholic Faith Iincluding Marriage) and will be good role model for the one being baptized, and be neither the father nor the mother of the child.  A baptized person who belongs to another Christian community may be admitted only as a "Christian witness" (not a godparent) provided that there is at least one Roman Catholic godparent who fulfills the above criteria.  A non-baptized person cannot be a witness.  

Baptismal Preparation:

In order to respect your request for the baptism of your child, you are invited to follow closely the stages of preparation offered below:

• Contact the parish office and express your desire to have a child baptized.
• Introduce yourself to the parish pastor if you do not already know him personally
• Pariticipate in some manner of faith formation prior to the baptism of your child.  This may take the form of a meeting with the pastor or deacon.  

Older Children:

All the above applies to the Baptism of an infant/young child only.  If you have a child to be baptized who has reached cathechetical age/the age of reason (Grade 2 or 7 years), you and they will receive different preparation.  
 

The Eucharist in the Catholic Church is a sacrament celebrated as "the source and summit" of the Christian life.^[1][2][3] The Eucharist is celebrated daily during the celebration of Mass, the eucharistic liturgy (except on Good Friday, when consecration takes place on Holy Thursday, but is distributed during the Mass of the Presanctified, and Holy Saturday, when Mass may not be celebrated and the Eucharist may only be distributed as Viaticum). The term Eucharist is also used for the bread and wine when transubstantiated (their substance having been changed), according to Catholic teaching, into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. "At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Saviour instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood."^[4]

Blessed Sacrament is a devotional term used in the Roman Catholic Church to refer to the Eucharistic species (the Body and Blood of Christ).^[5] Consecrated hosts are kept in a tabernacle after Mass, so that the Blessed Sacrament can be brought to the sick and dying outside the time of Mass. This makes possible also the practice of eucharistic adoration. Because Christ himself is present in the sacrament of the altar, he is to be honored with the worship of adoration. "To visit the Blessed Sacrament is ... a proof of gratitude, an expression of love,... and a duty of adoration toward Christ our Lord."<sup>[6]

First Communion and Reconciliation Preparation for Children:</sup>
We are happy that your family is preparing to First Communion.  It is a joyous occasin and we look forward to working with you to make this a memorable event in your family.  

• First Communion is a two-year program, normally 1st grade is Pre-Communion and 2nd grade is First Communion.  We inderstand some children, for various reasons, are past 2nd grade and have not done their First Communion.  If this is the case with your child, please contact our Director of Religious Education, Sr. Stephen Beuford.
• The child should know the basic prayers of the The Lord's Prayer, Haily Mary, Glory Be and Act of Contrition
• Attendence to class is of extreme inportance.  No more than 4 excused attendances will be allowed for the child to do First Communion.  Classes are held on Saturday morning 9:30a - 11:30a from September to May.
• Parents must attend the 4 meetings a year on Thursday nights
• Child must attend the Reconcilation Service
• We must have a copy of the child's birth certificate and baptism certificate in the office.
• Students must come to weekly Mass as part of their preparation for First Communion.

Not only does it [the Sacrament of Reconciliation] free us from our sins but it also challenges us to have the same kind of compassion and forgiveness for those who sin against us.  We are liberated to be forgivers.  We obtain new insight into the words of the Prayer of St. Francis: "It is in pardoning that we are pardoned."
Jesus entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to the Church.  The Sacrament of Reconciliation is God's gift to us so that any sin committed after Baptism can be forgiven.  In confession we have the opportunity to repent and recover the grace of friendship with God. It is a holy moment in which we place ourselves in his presence and honestly acknowledge our sins, especially mortal sins.  With absolution, we are reconciled to God and the Church. The Sacrament helps us stay close to the truth that we cannot live without God. "In him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). 

^{Reconciliation Preparation for Children: see Eucharist tab}
 
 

The prophets of the Old Testament foretold that God's Spirit would rest upon the Messiah to sustain his mission.  Their prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus the Messiah was conceived by the Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.  The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus on the occasion of his baptism by John.  Jesus' entire mission occurred in communion with the Spirit. Before he died, Jesus promised that the Spirit would be given to the Apostles and to the entire Church.  After his death, he was raised by the Father in the power of the Spirit.
Confirmation deepens our baptismal life that calls us to be missionary witnesses of Jesus Christ in our families, neighborhoods, society, and the world.  . . .  We receive the message of faith in a deeper and more intensive manner with great emphasis given to the person of Jesus Christ, who asked the Father to give the Holy Spirit to the Church for building up the community in loving service.

Preparation for Confirmation:

Students in grades 7 and 8 may participate in a two-year preparation program for the Sacrament of Confirmation
 
 

• Six months is the minimum time requires to complete all the necessary preparation for marriage in the church
• In no case will reservations be accepted for the church without the approval of the pastor 
• In most cases the pastor or deacon is to be the official church witness for the marriage
• In this archdiocese weddings outside the church are acceptable with permission
• Marriage between a Catholic and a Christian of another denomination ir an unbaptized individual may take place in a Catholic or other denomination church or chapel - ususally the church of the bride.  We are happy to welcome ministers of other denominations to our church to assist in an Ecumenical wedding, with the understanding that the Catholic ritual is to be used.
• The need for preparation for marriage is important as any lifetime committment or choices.  Pariticipation in a marriage preparation program is equired and is recommended as soon as possible after notification of intent to wed.
• The pastor or deacon must, in his mind, be assured that the couple truly is aware of the responsibilities and committment of a sacramental marriage before agreeing to witness the vows.
• Marriages of the very young are discouraged.
• If a couple is married outside the Church without (by a Justice of the Peace, a judge or a minister of another faith) the necessary dispensation of the Church, the Church considers the marriage invalid.  This relationship can be "blessed" in the church no sooner than one year after the original wedding ceremony took place.  The standard paperwork and preparations for the blessing of a marriage must be completed and the couple may be asked to participate in some marriage preparation or enrichment programs. 

In the Church's Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, through the ministry of the priest, it is Jesus who touches the sick to heal them from sin – and sometimes even from physical ailment. His cures were signs of the arrival of the Kingdom of God. The core message of his healing tells us of his plan to conquer sin and death by his dying and rising.
The Rite of Anointing tells us there is no need to wait until a person is at the point of death to receive the Sacrament. A careful judgment about the serious nature of the illness is sufficient.

When the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given, the hoped-for effect is that, if it be God's will, the person be physically healed of illness. But even if there is no physical healing, the primary effect of the SaHomecrament is a spiritual healing by which the sick person receives the Holy Spirit's gift of peace and courage.

Saint Ambrose Funeral Policy - Contact Parish Office 410-367-9918

 

From the moment of Jesus' conception in the womb of Mary until his Resurrection, he was filled with the Holy Spirit.  In biblical language, he was anointed by the Holy Spirit and thus established by God the Father as our high priest. As Risen Lord, he remains our high priest. . . . While all the baptized share in Christ's priesthood, the ministerial priesthood shares this through the Sacrament of Holy Orders in a special way. 

"Here I am, send me." (Is 6:8)

Ordination to the priesthood is always a call and a gift from God. Christ reminded his Apostles that they needed to ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into the harvest.  Those who seek priesthood respond generously to God's call using the words of the prophet, "Here I am, send me" (Is 6:8).  This call from God can be recognized and understood from the daily signs that disclose his will to those in charge of discerning the vocation of the candidate.