Sacramental Preparation

BAPTISM OF INFANTS AND CHILDREN:

• Age: under the age of 7
• Parents must be registered members of St. Francis, actively practicing the Catholic Faith and have attended a Baptismal Seminar.
• Godparents: At least one godparent must be an actively practicing Catholic who has received all of the Sacraments of Initiation and is in full communion with the Catholic Church (including marriage if applicable). Attendance of a Baptismal Seminar is recommended but not required.
• Contact the Parish Office for additional details at (405) 528-0485.

BAPTISM OF ADULTS:

• Age 7 years and older
• Complete the Order of Christian Initiation of Adult/Children
• Contact the Parish Office for additional details.

BAPTISMAL SEMINAR:

St. Francis of Assisi offers the Baptismal Seminar four times a year. Dates and times will be posted in the weekly bulletin. Email Kim Young for necessary forms at [email protected].

If you are unable to attend the Baptismal Seminar at St. Francis of Assisi, you may attend one at another Catholic Church. You will need to provide a Certificate of Attendance or a letter from the facilitator.

THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION IS CELEBRATED EVERY SATURDAY AT 3:00 P.M. IN THE CHURCH.

For more information about First Reconciliation, please contact the Director of Religious Education Teresa Schumacher 405-590-3694.

THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is known by many names; Confession, Penance, and Reconciliation are the most common.

THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

The Sacrament of Penance (Reconciliation) is an experience of the gift of God’s boundless mercy. Not only does it 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 Penance 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).

While all the Sacraments bring us an experience of the mercy that comes from Christ’s dying and rising, it is the Sacrament of Reconciliation that is the unique Sacrament of mercy. usccb.org

FIRST COMMUNION:

Contact Teresa Schumacher at 405-590-3694 – Director of Religious Education. Email [email protected]. 

SUNDAY MASS SCHEDULE:

Saturday Vigil Mass at 5:00 p.m., Sunday at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m.

DAILY MASS SCHEDULE:

Monday 7:30am -  Friday 7:30am in the chapel of the Meerschaert House on the north side of the church. Saturday 8:30am in the church.

SCHOOL MASS:

School Mass is Wednesday at 9:15 a.m. in the Church 

The Eucharist

So rich is the mystery of the Eucharist that we have a number of terms to illumine its saving grace: the Breaking of the Bread; the Lord’s Supper; the Eucharistic Assembly; the Memorial of Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection; the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Holy and Divine Liturgy; the Eucharistic Liturgy; Holy Communion; and Holy Mass (cf. CCC, nos. 1328-1332).

The use of bread and wine in worship is already found in the early history of God’s people. In the Old Testament, bread and wine are seen as gifts from God, to whom praise and thanks are given in return for these blessings and for other manifestations of his care and grace. The story of the priest Melchizedek’s offering a sacrifice of bread and wine for Abraham’s victory is an example of this (cf. Gn 14:18). The harvest of new lambs was also a time for the sacrifice of a lamb to show gratitude to God for the new flock and its contribution to the well-being of the family and tribe.

These ancient rituals were given historical meaning at the Exodus of God’s people. They were united into the Passover Meal as a sign of God’s delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, a pledge of his fidelity to his promises and eventually a sign of the coming of the Messiah and messianic times. Each family shared the lamb that had been sacrificed and the bread over which a blessing had been proclaimed. They also drank from a cup of wine over which a similar blessing had been proclaimed.

When Jesus instituted the Eucharist he gave a final meaning to the blessing of the bread and the wine and the sacrifice of the lamb. The Gospels narrate events that anticipated the Eucharist. The miracle of the loaves and fish, reported in all four Gospels, prefigured the unique abundance of the Eucharist. The miracle of changing water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana manifested the divine glory of Jesus and the heavenly wedding feast in which we share at every Eucharist. usccb.org

Requirements of Candidates:

• Must be baptized and attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days
• Must have satisfactorily completed faith formation with a satisfactory attendance record
• Must have completed the family 3 Works of Mercy and the Retreat

Requirements of Parents/Guardians:

• Must be registered in the parish & attend Mass on Sundays/Holy Days
• Must support the teachings of the Catholic Church, attend a Parent Sacrament meeting and actively involved in the preparation of the child

Requirements of a Sponsor:

• May not be the candidate’s parents (Godparents are recommended)
• Must be confirmed and be a practicing Catholic
• Must be at least 16 years of age (age 18 & up preferred) 
• May be male or female regardless of the gender of the candidate
• Must secure a certificate of eligibility with a church seal stating they are recommended by their pastor as a candidate to be a sponsor

For more information contact RE Coordinator, Teresa Schumacher at (405) 590-3694 or [email protected].

ENGAGED COUPLES PLANNING ON GETTING MARRIED MUST CONTACT THE PASTOR OR THE DEACON AT LEAST SIX MONTHS PRIOR TO THE WEDDING AND BEFORE THE DATE HAS BEEN SET.

There can be no guarantee your date is available if you neglect to call the office first. Archdiocesan policy mandates at least six months in order to accomplish all the preparations. You can reach Father John Paul Lewis at (405) 528-0485.

Marriage

Sacred Scripture begins with the creation and union of man and woman and ends with “the wedding feast of the Lamb” (Rev 19:7, 9). Scripture often refers to marriage, its origin and purpose, the meaning God gave to it, and its renewal in the covenant made by Jesus with his Church.

GOD CREATED MAN AND WOMAN OUT OF LOVE AND COMMANDED THEM TO IMITATE HIS LOVE IN THEIR RELATIONS WITH EACH OTHER. MAN AND WOMAN WERE CREATED FOR EACH OTHER. “IT IS NOT GOOD THAT THE MAN SHOULD BE ALONE. I WILL MAKE A SUITABLE PARTNER FOR HIM. . . . THE TWO OF THEM BECOME ONE BODY” - (GN 2:18; 24).

Woman and man are equal in human dignity, and in marriage both are united in an unbreakable bond.

Jesus brought to full awareness the divine plan for marriage. In John’s Gospel, Christ’s first miracle occurs at the wedding in Cana. “The Church attaches great importance to Jesus’ presence at the wedding at Cana. She sees in it the confirmation of the goodness of marriage and the proclamation that thenceforth marriage will be an efficacious sign of Christ’s presence” (CCC, no. 1613).

By their marriage, the couple witnesses Christ’s spousal love for the Church. One of the Nuptial Blessings in the liturgical celebration of marriage refers to this in saying, “Father, you have made the union of man and wife so holy a mystery that it symbolizes the marriage of Christ and his Church.”

The Sacrament of Marriage is a covenant, which is more than a contract. Covenant always expresses a relationship between persons. The marriage covenant refers to the relationship between the husband and wife, a permanent union of persons capable of knowing and loving each other and God. The celebration of marriage is also a liturgical act, appropriately held in a public liturgy at church. Catholics are urged to celebrate their marriage within the Eucharistic Liturgy. usccb.org

Contact Father John Paul Lewis at parish office (405) 528-0485 for more information. You may also contact the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City at (405) 721-5651 or the Ministries department at the Archdiocese of (405) 721-1416.

Holy Orders

By virtue of our Baptism, all Christians are part of a common priesthood of believers. We are all called to participate in Christ’s mission. Through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, bishops and priests are given a special role in carrying out this mission. They exercise a ministerial priesthood. Deacons also receive a special grace through ordination and are called to assist the ministry of bishops and priests (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], nos. 1547, 1554).

Pope Benedict XVI writes, “The priest is above all a servant of others” (Sacramentum Caritatis [Sacrament of Charity], no. 23). In gathering the community, modeling Christ’s love for the poor, presiding at Eucharist, and evangelizing social realities, ordained ministers help Christians imitate Christ’s mission of love and justice. usccb.org

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.

To make arrangements to be anointed if you are ill or having a surgery, call the parish office at 405-528-0485. If it is an emergency, please state that in your message.

Annointing of the Sick

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. 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. A person should be anointed before surgery when a dangerous illness is the reason for the intervention (cf. Rite of Anointing, Introduction, nos. 8-10).

Moreover, “old people may be anointed if they are in weak condition even though no dangerous illness is present. Sick children may be anointed if they have sufficient use of reason to be comforted by this sacrament. . . . [The faithful] should be encouraged to ask for the anointing, and, as soon as the time for the anointing comes, to receive it with faith and devotion, not misusing the sacrament by putting it off” (Rite of Anointing, nos. 11, 12, 13).

Only bishops and priests may be ministers of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. A penitential rite followed by the Liturgy of the Word opens the celebration. Scripture awakens the faith of the sick and family members and friends to pray to Christ for the strength of his Holy Spirit. The priest lays his hands on the head of the sick person. He then proceeds to anoint, with the blessed Oil of the Sick, the forehead and hands of the sick person (in the Roman Rite). He accompanies these acts with the words, “Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up” (CCC, no. 1513).

For those who are about to depart from this life, the Church offers the person Penance, Anointing of the Sick, and the Eucharist as Viaticum (food for the journey) given at the end of life. These are “the sacraments that prepare for our heavenly homeland” (cf. CCC, no. 1525). These rites are highly valued by Catholics as powerful aids to a good death. Since Holy Communion is the effective sign of Christ’s Paschal Mystery, it becomes for the recipient the opportunity to unite one’s own suffering and dying to that of Christ with the hope of life eternal with him. The special words proper to Viaticum are added: “May the Lord Jesus protect you and lead you to everlasting life. Amen.” usccb.org