The Sacraments
 | There are seven sacraments - Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion, Confession,
Marriage, Holy Orders, and the Anointing of the Sick - at the heart of
the life of the Catholic Church. 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. That's what theologians mean when they say that sacraments are at the same time signs and instruments of God's grace. When we participate in them worthily, each sacrament provides us with graces—with the life of God in our soul. |