Sacraments and Education
Adults
Children and Youth
For regular Mass and Confession times go here.
Unbaptized adults normally become catechumens and enter the Church through the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) at the Easter Vigil. Those who have no experience of the Christian faith, and would like to learn more, should contact the pastor.
Adult Christians who have already been baptized in another ecclesial community (aka Protestants) are not "converts," properly-so-called. To enter the Catholic Church, they receive the sacrament of Confirmation in a Rite of Reception into Full Communion, having first gone to Confession. This can happen any time at the discretion of the pastor, though Pentecost is particularly suitable. A four-session "mystagogy" (traditional term for post-baptismal instruction) class is currently forming for the spring. Signup here.
Education should not end, for the Catholic Christian, with the completion of sacramental initiation. SJB provides regular "Adult Forum" programming after coffee hour on Sundays. These presentations, led by both the clergy and laity, range widely from theological topics to practical matters. Once a month, the Legion of Mary sponsors the Society of Patricians, an informal lay apostolate designed to help ordinary people talk about the faith.
Children ages 3-12 typically enroll in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS). CGS currently meets on Sunday afternoons following coffee hour, as well as on Wednesday and Friday mornings. Older youth may participate in the general Adult Forum discussions. Youth also gather on First Fridays for eucharistic adoration followed by supper (usually meat-free pizza) and discussion of a topic led by the priest.
The Ordinariate is a "restored order" diocese, which means that, apart from Baptism, the other remaining sacraments of initiation are given together in the traditional order from the age of seven (the canonical age of reason): first Penance, Confirmation, and first Holy Communion. (Preparation for these sacraments is included in the ordinary course of religious formation. However, we strongly emphasize that parents are the primary educators of their children, so an individual family approach may also be approved under the supervision of the pastor. We also recognize the mixed economy of American diocese — though we confirm at the age of seven, many older children come to us who have received their First Communion but not Confirmation. Children's confirmations are ordinarily conferred in the season of Easter or Pentecost. For more on the Ordinariate's approach, see Bishop Lopes' pastoral letter, Come, Holy Ghost.