Sacraments

Baptism is a sacrament.  A sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.  Jesus tells us that we must be baptized.   Throughout the Bible, God has saved mankind through water. Noah in the flood, as well as Moses in  the story of the exodus from Egypt, God uses water to save.  As God saved His people, He made for them a new beginning.  We believe that God creates a new person through baptism.  All sins are forgiven, and God permanently marks the candidate as His own forever.  Baptism cannot be undone, and nobody should be baptized twice under any circumstance.

Baptism is available through Fr. Bolin.  If you are a member of your family desires to be baptized, please just talk to Father after Mass, call him, or reach out to the parish office at secretary@stbecketfw.org.

The sacrament of Confirmation is best described by it's affects:

— it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry, “Abba! Father!”;

— it unites us more firmly to Christ;

— it increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us;

— it renders our bond with the Church more perfect;

— it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross:

Catholic Church. (2000). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed., p. 330). Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference.

The Ordinariate is one of approximately 16 dioceses in the USA that has returned to the historic and traditional ordering of the sacraments of initiation - Baptism, followed by Confirmation, and then Holy Communion.

If you or your child are wanting to receive Confirmation and First Communion, please reach out to Fr. Bolin or the parish office at secretary@stbecketfw.org.

The Eucharist is the source and summit of every Christian's life.  From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: 

(2177) The Sunday celebration of the Lord’s Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church’s life. “Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church.

The Blessed Sacrament is available every Sunday for Catholics, please come and join us.  If you are not a confirmed Catholic in good standing, please let Father know and he will make certain you are receiving soon.

On November 14, 1996, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops approved the following guidelines on the reception of Communion. These guidelines replace the guidelines approved by the Administrative Committee of the NCCB in November 1986. The guidelines, which are to be included in missalettes and other participation aids published in the United States, seek to remind all those who may attend Catholic liturgies of the present discipline of the Church with regard to the sharing of Eucharistic Communion.

For Catholics

As Catholics, we fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion. We are encouraged to receive Communion devoutly and frequently. In order to be properly disposed to receive Communion, participants should not be conscious of grave sin and normally should have fasted for one hour. A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord without prior sacramental confession except for a grave reason where there is no opportunity for confession. In this case, the person is to be mindful of the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition, including the intention of confessing as soon as possible (canon 916). A frequent reception of the Sacrament of Penance is encouraged for all.

For our fellow Christians

We welcome our fellow Christians to this celebration of the Eucharist as our brothers and sisters. We pray that our common baptism and the action of the Holy Spirit in this Eucharist will draw us closer to one another and begin to dispel the sad divisions which separate us. We pray that these will lessen and finally disappear, in keeping with Christ's prayer for us "that they may all be one" (Jn 17:21).

Because Catholics believe that the celebration of the Eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life, and worship, members of those churches with whom we are not yet fully united are ordinarily not admitted to Holy Communion. Eucharistic sharing in exceptional circumstances by other Christians requires permission according to the directives of the diocesan bishop and the provisions of canon law (canon 844 §4). Members of the Orthodox Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Polish National Catholic Church are urged to respect the discipline of their own Churches. According to Roman Catholic discipline, the Code of Canon Law does not object to the reception of Communion by Christians of these Churches (canon 844 §3).

For those not receiving Holy Communion

All who are not receiving Holy Communion are encouraged to express in their hearts a prayerful desire for unity with the Lord Jesus and with one another.

For non-Christians

We also welcome to this celebration those who do not share our faith in Jesus Christ. While we cannot admit them to Holy Communion, we ask them to offer their prayers for the peace and the unity of the human family.

© 1996, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

MOST SOULS want the love and joy and peace which come from Absolution, but they lack practical instruction as to how to prepare themselves. Here is a very simple way in which to prepare for a confession.

• Go to a place where you can be alone for an hour. A church is the best place. But it is essential that you be quiet and alone with God. For the first few minutes, think about God. Try to realize how much He loves you and the pain He suffered on the Cross in order to redeem you.
• Now consider your life. What a failure it has been in many ways; how different from the life of Jesus! Tell him that you are sorry for your sins and that you are resolved to face them all and cleanse yourself of their stain.
• Think, now, of some of the chief faults of your life; the sins (some of them perhaps as far back as your childhood) of which you are especially ashamed. Take a sheet of paper and note down the sins you can recall. But remember the great difference between temptation and sin. Temptation is the impulse to think, to say, or to do that which is wrong; but when you overcome the impulse, there is no sin. A sin is surrender to the impulse.
• After—but only after—you have noted down all the sins you can recall, it may help you to check up on your list by referring to the Examination of Conscience that follows. (But get everything noted down on paper, for it will save time for others who may be waiting if you can read the sins off readily in your confession.
• If possible, state how many times you have committed each sin, or at all events the greater ones. If you cannot remember the number of times, at least say you have committed the sin often.

“By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayer of the priests the whole Church commends those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save them. And indeed she exhorts them to contribute to the good of the People of God by freely uniting themselves to the Passion and death of Christ.”  Please contact Fr. Bolin if you need anointing.

“As soon as any one of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived” (Code of Canon Law 1004 §1).

The anointing of the sick has been misused at times in various places.  EWTN interviewed a priest who taught in Rome regarding the provision of this sacrament, and his feedback is here.

Marriage in the Catholic Church is between a man and a woman.  This union is not something to entered into haphazardly, therefore, preparation is required for marriage in the Catholic Church.  Expect monthly sessions for 4-6 months of preparation.  This also includes those who have been civilly united, but not married in the Church; we call this a convalidation.  If you find yourself in such a situation, do not hold back, but let the Church help resolve the situation.

Please see Fr. Bolin if you wish to be married or reach out to the parish office at secretary@stbecketfw.org to schedule an appointment to talk with Fr. Bolin.

Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time: thus it is the sacrament of apostolic ministry. It includes three degrees: episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate.

If you feel that you may be discerning religious or ordained life, please speak with Father at your first available time.  We will walk with you in your journey.

Catholic Church. (2000). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed., p. 383). Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference.