Sacraments



“Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to Him.”
(Acts 2:38-39)

Baptism is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation along with Confirmation and Holy Communion. Baptisms take place the third Sunday of the month. If you are new to the parish, please first register as a parishioner.

If you would like to have your child baptised, please contact Michael Aguiar at the Parish Office at least 2 months in advance as some preparation classes are required.

For adults, please see RCIA below.

“Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved.”
(Mark 16:16)



The RCIA is a process in which people who are interested in joining the Catholic Christian Faith embark on a Journey of Faith in a pressure-free environment. The team consists of Father Ranjan D’Sa and several parishioners who lead the enquirers in their journey of faith discernment. They consider questions such as: Who is God? Who is Jesus? Who is the Holy Spirit? Together the group opens out the Trinity, scripture, prayer, the sacraments, the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the liturgy and the layout of the worship space in the church. After prayer, study, reflection and discernment, candidates are received into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil.

Contact:   Brian Thornton   (905) 827-2373   [email protected]



“This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (John 6:50-51)

The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” (Lumen Gentium 11)

First Holy Communion is open to any baptised Catholic in grade 2 or older. Registration opens in October. First Holy Communion usually takes place soon after Easter.

For adults, please see the RCIA section below.



“Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit… the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands…”
(Acts 8:14-18)

“It is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has commissioned us; he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
(2 Corinthians 11:20-21)



The Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession restores our relationship with God by the forgiveness of our sins. When we go to confession with contrition for our sins and a desire to amend our life, God forgives us through the priest. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the effects of the sacrament in paragraph 1496, below:

1496   The spiritual effects of the sacrament of Penance are:

• • • reconciliation with God by which the penitent recovers grace;
    • reconciliation with the Church;
    • remission of the eternal punishment incurred by mortal sins;
    • remission, at least in part, of the temporal punishments resulting from sin;
    • peace and serenity of conscience, and spiritual consolation;
    • an increase of spiritual strength for the Christian battle.

Before confessing our sins, we go through an Examination of Conscience to make sure we include all our sins. See below for a sample examination:

Sample Examination of Conscience

Reconciliation Times:

Saturdays 4:00 pm — 4:30 pm

Or by appointment.

Special times for reconciliation are scheduled in Advent and Lent. Consult the Bulletin or contact the Parish Office for more information.



“The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.”
(CIC, c. 1055, sec. 1.)

Sacred Scripture begins with the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God and concludes with a vision of “the wedding-feast of the Lamb.” Scripture speaks throughout of marriage and its “mystery,” its institution and the meaning God has given it, its origin and its end, its various realizations throughout the history of salvation, the difficulties arising from sin and its renewal “in the Lord” in the New Covenant of Christ and the Church.
(CCC, sec. 1602.)

The sacrament of Marriage is usually celebrated on a Saturday afternoon. Preparation is provided. Please contact the parish office 1 year before your desired date.



The Anointing of the Sick is administered to those in times of illness or near the time of death, We can see the Apostles anointing the sick with oil and healing them in Mark 6:13.

“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of the faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise them up. And if they have committed sins, they will be forgiven.”   (James 5:14-15)

Suffering has value, when united with the suffering of Christ. It can have redemptive value when we ‘offer it up’ for the salvation of souls.

“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same thought, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.”   (1 Peter 4:1)

If you know someone who would like to receive this sacrament, please call the Parish Office at (905) 827-2373.



Hospital volunteers visit parishioners on a weekly basis and also may take Communion to those who desire to receive it. If you or someone you love is in hospital or is homebound and would like to receive our Eucharistic Lord, please contact the parish office.



“At the time of death of a Christian, whose life was begun in the waters of Baptism and strengthened at the Eucharistic table, the Church intercedes on behalf of the deceased because of its confident belief that death is not the end nor does it break the bonds forged in life.”   (Order of Christian Funerals #4)

As a community, we grieve with those who have lost a loved one. Although a death is extremely difficult and painful to experience, we have hope in faith as Christians and so we even call a funeral Mass a celebration.

If you have lost a loved one please contact the Parish Office. We are here to help you in this difficult time. We will put you in touch with a funeral home and help with the arrangements for the funeral Mass. Please call the Parish Office at (905) 827-2373.



“The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest.”   (Luke 10:2)

For assistance in discerning God’s call to priesthood or consecrated life, please contact Rev. Michael King, Vocations Director (905) 528-7988 [email protected] or Rev. Ranjan D’Sa at the Parish office (905) 827-2373 [email protected].

Useful links:

Hamilton Diocese Vocations