The Sacraments | An Introduction

The seven sacraments of the Catholic Church are baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance (reconciliation), anointing of the sick, marriage and holy orders.

Sacraments are signs and revelations of God’s love, of his plan to save mankind from sin and death and of his endless mercy and forgiveness. In most sacraments the church takes material things, water, wine, bred, and oil, reflecting the Incarnation, when God took on material flesh and became a human being. They are signs which bring about the very salvation that they signify, since God is at work in them.

Through our reception of the sacraments we receive the spirit of Jesus Christ and are formed in his image. No longer visible to our eyes, he remains present to us in the sacraments. In the celebration of every sacrament he lifts up the one who believes to unite that person with the father.

Christ continually seeks to share his divine life with us, to be born again in each one of us. Christians long to share and participate in Christ’s life. The place of our meeting is in the sacraments. As St. Ambrose, an early doctor of the church, expressed, “You have shown yourself to me, Christ, face to face. I meet you in the sacraments.”

For more information on the seven sacraments and diocesan policies regarding sponsorship and guidelines, please visit the Diocese of Greensburg.