SACRAMENTS
Baptism
In this beautiful sacrament, your infant’s original sin will be removed, he or she will be filled with sanctifying grace, and the Church will welcome your child into the family of God, the Universal Church.
Please let us know immediately if you desire baptism for your infant. This sacrament is typically celebrated at 1:00 p.m. on Sundays. Parents are asked to attend a one-evening presentation prior to the celebration. This session is held on the last Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. Arrangements should be made through the Parish Office. Contact: Parish Secretary, (314) 487-2522, Ext. 201. Adult and older child Baptisms are handled on an individual basis through the OCIA process.
Reconciliation
In the Sacrament of Reconciliation we have the opportunity to confess our sin, receive forgiveness, and receive special graces to avoid sin in the future. Christ’s great sacrifice on the cross paved the way for us to be reconciled with the Father. So too, we are called to forgive others.
Individual confessions are available Saturday at 8:30 a.m. and on Saturday afternoon, 3:30-4:15 p.m. and on the first Tuesday of the month after 8:00 a.m. Mass. Reconciliation is also available by appointment. Additional opportunities are scheduled during Advent and Lent.
Eucharist
The Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life. The term “Eucharist” originates from the Greek word eucharistia, meaning “thanksgiving.” Within this sacrament, Jesus gives His Body and Blood for us, so that we too might give ourselves to Him in love and be united with Him in Holy Communion. In this way, we are joined more deeply with our community– the one Body of Christ, the Church.
The Eucharist is central to the faith community of SMMA. The large size of our parish makes it necessary to offer several Mass time options. View our Mass times here. Ordinarily, students within our school, PSR, and home school communities receive their first holy communion in the spring of second grade, after learning about the Blessed Sacrament and growing closer to Jesus through prayer. May each reception of holy communion be as fervent and reverent as our first! If you or your child have not yet made their first holy communion and are past the usual age, we would love to help you. Please contact Mr. Paul Cooper, Director of Religious Education, at (314) 487-2522, ext. 222 or pcooper@smmaparish.org.
Confirmation
We often say that Catholics are “sealed” with the Holy Spirit at Confirmation, because the sacrament deepens and strengthens the baptismal gift of the Holy Spirit. Any baptized person who freely asks, receives the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord), as well as the strength to be a witness to God’s love and might in word and deed. This sacrament is typically administered by a bishop of the Church.
Confirmation is offered to SMMA 8th grade students as a group and is celebrated in the Spring. Unconfirmed adults and teens should contact the Parish Office, and an individualized program will be arranged.
Matrimony
Matrimony is both a vocation and a covenant by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life. It 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.
SMMA offers multiple opportunities for an engaged couple to explore their commitment in the light of faith. Diocesan guidelines call for a minimum preparation period of 6 months. An interested couple should see a priest before ANY plans are set. In addition to regular meetings with a priest, the couple must make a marriage retreat: An Archdiocesan sponsored program that usually meets at the Pastoral Center; a retreat option sponsored by Marriage Encounter; https://www.stlengagedencounter.org/; and a Parish Based option. SMMA’s program is held every 4 months (Feb, June, Nov) and meets on Friday evening and Saturday day ending with a blessing at the 4:30 Mass. Contact: Paul Cooper, DRE, (314) 487-2522, Ext. 222 for more information or to register for the parish program. Contact information is provided by the priest for other programs.
Holy Orders
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.
We need good and holy priests to serve the Church, to be “fishers of men”, and to bring Christ’s presence to our world through the sacraments and prayer. If you feel God may be calling you to priestly ordination, contact one of our parish priests for more information, or contact Fr. Tony Ritter, Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of St. Louis at (314) 792-6460, anthonyritter@archstl.org. Also, check out our Archdiocesan Website for the Office of Vocations: https://www.stlvocations.org/.
Anointing of the Sick
This sacrament brings Jesus’ healing peace to the chronically ill, infirmed, and aged members of our parish. Through the ministry of the priest, it is Jesus who touches the sick to heal them from sin – and sometimes even from physical ailment.
At SMMA, a communal service is held twice a year in the Spring and Fall, or arrangements are made on an individual basis by calling the Parish Office, (314) 487-2522.