January 2008
in
From Fr. Frank
What a great Christmas we had at St. Eulalia’s!! The attendance was up, the collection was good and the spirits were high. I want to thank EVERYONE who helped to make the celebrations both beautiful and prayerful. On Sunday, Dec. 30th, we had our first Christmas open house which saw over 100 parishioners coming to celebrate the holidays.
Now we’re off and planning LENT…yes, that’s Lent! Ash Wednesday begins on Feb. 6, the earliest date it can be, which means that Easter is at its earliest: March 23!! This year we have seven children preparing for Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. Anytime a person has reached the age of reason (eight) and has not been baptized, they have to celebrate ALL THREE SACRAMENTS OF INITIATION at the Easter Vigil. A child or adult CANNOT be baptized and then have Confirmation and/or Eucharist delayed for a later celebration. WE ONLY SEPARATE THE SACRAMENTS OF INITIATION WHEN AN INFANT IS BAPTIZED.
In the Orthodox Church, even babies are confirmed and receive the Eucharist at the time of their baptism to maintain the integrity of celebrating the Sacraments of Initiation together at the same liturgy. We, in the Western church, separated Confirmation from Baptism to ensure that the Bishop had a significant role to play in the initiation process. The rationale for this liturgical practice: to remind us that Baptism is initiation into the UNIVERSAL CHURCH, and not simply the local church or parish.
Please pray for these children who will be baptized, confirmed and received at the Table of the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil on March 22nd.
