Catholics have a right to the sacraments and so there is no “fee” for those outward signs, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church for bestowing divine grace. Church facilities, however, do require maintenance and upkeep, and people other than the priest or deacon, such as musicians, are typically involved in weddings and deserve to be paid. As such, the customary fee for using the church for weddings has been set at $600 for parishioners. There is an additional $300 fee if you would like to book our musicians.

We strongly encouraged that all departed Catholics receive a funeral Mass for the repose of their loved one’s soul. While prayers can be said at a funeral home or cemetery, recall that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was instituted by Jesus during the Last Supper, and it is the highest form of worship humankind can render to God, because it is Jesus’s own active worship of our Heavenly Father. The Mass is also a sacrifice wherein Jesus is offered as an oblation to the Father for our welfare and sanctification. Because we have no way to know whether or how soon a departed soul may enter into Heaven, we can do nothing better for our departed loved ones than offer a Mass (or many Masses) for their eternal rest.

Please contact the parish office as soon as possible to request the sacrament of anointing of the sick. This sacrament may be received more than once in a lifetime for serious health issues. Normally the person to receive should be prepared to make a good confession (assuming they have the ability to do so) and will receive Holy Communion. For end of life situations, there is an additional prayer the priest will pray over them. Also, please keep in mind that the sacraments are for the living; you should never wait until after death to request “Last Rites,” nor should you wait until the last few hours if you know the end may be imminent. There is no guarantee that a priest will be able to drop what he is doing and immediately make it to a person’s bedside

Holy Communion is the greatest treasure on the face of the earth — the real and living presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. Catholic Children typically make their First Communion in the 2nd Grade (or around the age of 7, as this is widely considered the “age of reason,” meaning most children this age have the ability to know right from wrong and to understand Who they are receiving in this Sacrament of sacraments.) Individuals who convert to Catholicism later in life typically receive their First Communion when they are received into the Church, which in most cases occurs each year during the Easter Vigil Mass. For Catholics who have already made their First Communion as a Catholic, the condition for receiving Communion is simply to be practicing your Faith (meaning you attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation) and be in a state of grace (that is, not conscious of having committed any grave\mortal sin since your last Confession.) If you have questions, please talk to a priest.

Often, Catholics will speak in terms of our “Sunday Obligation,” which means we are obliged to attend Mass every Sunday. However, a better way to think of this is as our “Sunday Privilege!” Consider that in the Old Testament, once a year the High Priest — and only the High Priest — was permitted to enter the “holy of holies” in the Temple in Jerusalem, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. The Ark, of course, kept the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments had been inscribed. When we enter into a Catholic church, it’s not just the Pope, or Archbishop, or Priest who is permitted access; it’s all of us. And it’s not the Ark with the Ten Commandments being housed under the church’s roof, but the tabernacle wherein our Lord Himself waits for us, burning with love. While many kindhearted people gather around the world each week or day to pray and worship God, we have the unique privilege of worshipping God the way He revealed to us to worship when He instituted the Mass during the Last Supper with the instructions “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Best of all, Catholics in a state of grace have the blessing to receive our Lord sacramentally through the Eucharist. Those who are sick or those unable to travel due to age, infirmity or inclement weather are excused from attending Mass on a given week. Vacation or sports is not a valid reason for skipping Mass.