Sacraments
Baptism
Baptism is the one sacrament that all Christian denominations share in common. In the Catholic Church, infants are baptized to welcome them into the Catholic faith.
Baptism prep will be on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at Sacred Heart Church, following Mass (6:30 pm). Baptisms are performed on the 3rd Sunday of the Month, during the 4:30 or 11:00 Mass.
Parent Baptism Letter
https://8d58568a-88af-467e-94b4-3ae61075dea7.usrfiles.com/ugd/8d5856_4a9c7d457aa9443793bae4e4d2a195a2.pdf
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Baptism Registration Form
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To reserve a date, please call the parish office at 517-547-7496.
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FOR ADULTS
If you are an adult and are interested in exploring Christian baptism, we invite you to explore our faith in Jesus Christ, and membership in . Please contact Deacon John Amthor if you are interested in joining the Catholic Church through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).
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FOR INFANTS
If you are a parent and are interested in having your child baptized, please contact the parish office 517-547-7496. To have your baby baptized into the Roman Catholic Church it is presumed that you, as parents, are currently actively participating in the Catholic Faith as practicing registered members of St. Mary on the Lake. In preparation for Baptism, it is required that for the first child, parents participate in a class that will prepare them for the baptism of their child.
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If the Godparents are not participating, registered members of St. Mary on the Lake, verification must be received from the parish in which they are participating and registered. Godparents must be at least 16 years of age and have received the Sacrament of Confirmation. This verification must be received before baptism can be scheduled. For more information, contact the parish office.
Confession
“Confession catches the sinner in his fall away from God… It makes visible the fact that the Church turns to all sinners… I have been baptized, but I do not live according to the rule of baptism. I have been confirmed, but I am no apostle of Christ. I do attend Mass, but it remains incomprehensible for me… Saints are shown to me, but I am simply not one… But if I am told that the confessional is reserved for sinners, then I know that here finally is a place for me; it is precisely I who am meant. The pew there was especially made for me” (Adrienne Von Speyr, Confession, 93-94).
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No matter if you go to confession regularly, or haven’t been in years Fr. Todd is longing to run to you and welcome you home.
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First Reconciliation – Preparation normally begins in the 2nd grade. The process involves regular attendance of Faith Formation. For more information, contact the Director of Faith Formation deaconjohn@sacredhearthudson.org
Confirmation
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. They are, as true witnesses of Christ, thus more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.
At the birth of the Church, the apostles, in fulfillment of Christ’s will, imparted to the newly baptized by the laying on of hands the gift of the Spirit that completes the grace of Baptism. The imposition of hands is the origin of the Sacrament of Confirmation, which in a certain way continues the grace of Pentecost in the Church today. (See Acts 2:1-42)
Confirmation imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual mark, the “character,” which is the sign that Jesus Christ has marked a Christian with the seal of his Spirit.
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Youth
For more information about the requirements for the reception of Confirmation, please contact the Director of Faith Formation
deaconjohn@sacredhearthudson.org
2022/2023 Parent Letter & Schedule
Click here for the schedule.
Adults
If you missed Confirmation as a youth and would like to be confirmed, call the parish office to find out more information. For some, the preparation process may involve the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Your preparation process will vary based on your faith formation background.
Eucharist
At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet ‘in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us’.
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The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” The other sacraments and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.
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In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist “the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained”. (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1323-74; Luke 22:7-20; Matthew 26:17-29; Mark 14:12-25; John 6; 1st Corinthians 10:16-21, 11:23-29).
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First Holy Communion
The Prerequisites for children preparing for their first communion include:
1. Baptism
2. First Reconciliation Preparation
3. Weekly attendance at Mass
4. Completion of parish or parish school religious education program the year prior and the year of sacrament preparation. Preparation normally begins in 2nd grade. The process involves a regular attendance of religion class and attendance at a parent/child retreat. First Eucharist Celebrations usually occur in early May. For more information, contact the Director of Faith Formation.
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Adults who have never received their first holy communion would typically prepare for this Sacrament through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA).
Holy Orders
Any man who feels that the Lord might be inviting him to consider a vocation to either the priesthood or the permanent diaconate is welcome to contact Fr. Todd or Deacon John Amthor.
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Any woman who feels that the Lord might be inviting her to consider a vocation to the religious life is welcome to contact one of our priests.
Holy Matrimony
“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25).
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A sacrament is a visible sign of an invisible reality that gives grace. In marriage, the visible sign is the love that a husband and wife have for each other. The invisible reality to which they point is the love that Jesus has for his bride, the Church. In the Sacrament of Marriage, God gives grace, that is to say, supernatural power, to make His own love, mercy, generosity, kindness, and compassion tangible.
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The task of marriage is to make the invisible God visible by the love a husband and wife have for each other. They do this first for one another, then for their children if God should bless them with children, and then for all those who know them. Knowing how hard real love is, we pray daily for those of you who are married, so that you might be beautiful witnesses of God’s love.
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Our Marriage Prep program through St. Mary on the Lake takes about 9 months to complete. Please call the Parish Office for Marriage Prep information.
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For our complete Marriage Preparation/Guideline Information, please click below:
For the 2022/2023 Natural Family Planning Dates & Times, please click below:
https://8d58568a-88af-467e-94b4-3ae61075dea7.usrfiles.com/ugd/8d5856_28292884879e46c59ba81f5cf57d4f12.pdf
Anointing of the Sick
“Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14).
Many of us, perhaps, remember a time when this sacrament was celebrated only for those who were dying. However any illness of serious nature can be a legitimate reason to celebrate the sacrament. What’s more, the sacrament may be repeated if the sick person recovers after the anointing but becomes ill once again, or if, during the same illness, the person’s condition becomes more serious.
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Please keep in mind the following regarding requests for Anointing of the Sick:
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If you or a loved one know ahead of time that you are going to have major surgery or medical treatment, please do not wait until you are in the hospital to receive an anointing. Anointing of the sick is no longer only “Last Rites.”
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To receive the Anointing of the Sick, simply ask the priest in person, email him, or call the parish office to set up a meeting time.
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It is good and beneficial, but not absolutely required, to receive the Sacrament of Penance during the anointing.
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If you or a loved one experience a medical emergency, please either ask the hospital chaplain for the priest on call, or call St. Mary on the Lake Parish and ask to receive an anointing.
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Regarding Communion for the Sick:
At St. Mary on the Lake, we are blessed to have a group of committed, well-trained parishioners who assist the priests by faithfully taking Holy Communion to the homebound. If you would like to be visited with Communion at home or in a local care facility, or to request a visit from a priest, please call the parish office. We are also happy to add the sick to our parish prayer list upon request.
Funerals
The Catholic Funeral Rites are intended to pray for the person who has died and to help us deal with the difficulties and reality of death. Our faith provides strength and courage to face this radical loss in our lives. Indeed, every baptized Catholic should have a proper Christian burial.
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Planning the Funeral
As soon as the funeral date and time have been set, the loved ones of the deceased meet the the priest in order to plan the funeral Mass or service. All of the music and readings chosen must be in accordance with proper theology, as well as the normal order of Catholic liturgy.
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The Funeral Rites
It is common practice to have a vigil service (a “wake”) during the visitation period at the funeral home the day before the funeral. This may take the form of a Rosary or a Scripture Service. This is also the fitting forum for eulogies. Alternately, families also often choose to have visitation take place immediately before the funeral in the narthex of the Church. While these services are customary, they are not obligatory.
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A funeral usually takes place within the context of the Mass. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “the Eucharistic sacrifice is also offered for the faithful departed who have died in Christ but are not yet wholly purified, so that they may be able to enter into the light and peace of Christ.” In some circumstances, it may be more appropriate to have a funeral service which includes the Liturgy of the Word only. This may occur in the church or in the funeral home.
After the funeral, the body is taken to the cemetery, where there may be a short prayer service (“final commendation”). This rite is sometimes reserved to the family alone, or may be postponed or not celebrated at all for a just reason.
Adoration
“Could you not keep watch with me one hour?” – Jesus (Matthew 26:40)
There are few ways to encounter Jesus more powerfully and to hear His invitation to come and follow as His disciple than time before the Blessed Sacrament; for Jesus is truly present in a unique way in the Eucharist. Just as we love to waste time with those we love so Jesus loves to waste time with us. Join us every Thursday from 8:15 am - 9:00 am.