To book a baptism, please call the Parish Office or speak with the Priest directly, either at the Parochial House or after any Mass.

The Godparents you choose for your child should be practising Confirmed Catholics, at least 16 years of age and who will be faith-filled examples to your child. (One Godparent must be Catholic, but a non-Catholic Christian may also be a Sponsor).

While you may have several Godparents, only one Godfather and one Godmother will be noted in the Parish Register.

THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM

The Sacrament of Baptism is the most beautiful thing that happens in someone’s life. Did you know that when someone is baptised, it means that God the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, give the Christian many very special gifts? To be baptised in the Catholic Church means more than being sprinkled with water on one’s head and receiving a Christian name. The word ‘Baptism’ comes from a Greek word that means to ‘plunge’ or ‘immerse’. To ‘plunge’ someone in water represents the person dying, being buried and resurrecting with Christ as a ‘new being.’

What you will need in Preparation for your Child’s Baptism

1) Request for Baptism will only be confirmed when the application form is completed at the Parish Office.

2) A copy of the child’s Birth Certificate is necessary to prove identity.

3) Godparents must be a minimum sixteen years of age.

4) Parents are asked to provide a New Baptismal Candle for each child.

5) Where a Baptism is transferred from a different Parish, a letter of permission from that Parish Priest of that Parish is necessary.

Please note that a minimum of 4 weeks notice is required for Baptisms.

Confession Times:

ST PETER’S CHURCH MILFORD – Saturdays, after 7.30pm Mass.
OUR LADY OF LOURDES KERRYKEEL – Saturdays: 5.30pm.
ST CATHERINES OUGHTERLIN – Before and after Mass.
ST MARY’S CHURCH GLENVAR – after 6.00pm mass on Saturday.
ST JOSEPH’S CHURCH RATHMULLAN – Saturdays: 6.00pm or any time.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the most unique and beautiful aspects of Catholicism. Jesus Christ, in His abundant love and mercy, established the Sacrament of Confession, so that we as sinners can obtain forgiveness for our sins and reconcile with God and the Church. The sacrament “washes us clean,” and renews us in Christ.

“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’” (John 20:21-23).

How to Go to Confession

PREPARATION: Before going to confession, the penitent compares his or her life with the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, and the example of Christ, asking the Holy Spirit to show them their own particular sins. There are lots of Examinations of Conscience, and even a mobile phone app.

Examinations of Conscience to help you:

Examen for Adults,

Examen for Older Kids  

Examen for Younger Kids

GOING TO CONFESSION:

Begin by making the Sign of the Cross with the priest and say:

“Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been (state how long) since my last confession.

These are my sins.”

Tell your sins simply and honestly to the priest. You might even want to discuss the circumstances and the root causes of your sins and ask the priest for advice or direction.  You have to confess    mortal sins in number and kind as best as you are able.  If you want to write them down or use a phone app to help you remember, that is fine.  Don’t be afraid – the priest is a sinner too.  Don’t be worried – the priest can’t tell anyone what you tell him, as he is in this moment an agent of God’s grace. 

When you are finished say: “I am sorry for these sins and all the sins I cannot remember.”  The truth is there are usually more.  This is also a good way to let the priest know you aren’t just trying to recollect something else. 

Listen to the priest and accept the penance from him.  Penances are things we do to begin again, and to show God we are sorry – prayers, reflections or works of charity.  Write it down on the back of one of the Act of Contrition copies if you need to.

Pray the Act of Contrition.  There are lots of different versions, or you can make up your own as long as it contains the essential elements – sorrow for sin and resolve to sin no more. 

My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.  In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.  

Our Saviour Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In his name, my God, have mercy. 

Until the thirteenth century, the usual practice was for infants and children to receive First Communion immediately after baptism. This was normally done by administering a drop of Precious Blood to the infant or by the priest dipping his thumb in the chalice and then placing his thumb in the infant’s mouth. At Masses small children were often given the fragments of hosts that were left over after the adults had received Communion.

This practice in the Western Church generally died out by the thirteenth century, and the Eucharist was given only to those who had reached the “age of discretion” and had gone to confession.

First Holy Communion is most often celebrated by children around the age of seven or eight, when they have reached the age of reason and are capable of participating in the sacramental life of the Catholic Church. First Holy Communion is to be preceded by the sacraments of baptism and reconciliation.

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAMME REQUIREMENTS

For Children who will be preparing to receive the Sacrament of Penance and First Holy Communion, many programmes feature beautifully illustrated Scripture stories to help introduce the children to the Eucharist in the context of the Mass, and will motivate them to build a firm foundation for their initiation into these two sacraments.

To be eligible to receive First Holy Communion, children will need to register for the Parish Programme , if the church is a different church in which the child was baptised, you will need to provide a copy of birth and baptism certificate.

To share in Communion for the first time children must have “sufficient knowledge and careful preparation so as to understand the mystery of Christ according to their capacity” (Code of Canon Law 913).

They must also be able to receive communion “with faith and devotion” (Code of Canon Law 913).

Children should understand the mystery of Christ “according to their capacity.” They should come to the table with a spiritual disposition.

“Children must go to the sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion for the first time” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1457).

Children and their parents are expected to attend Mass frequently (weekly).

Children are expected to attend all preparation classes and complete all course work.

Confirmation in Faith

Confirmation, like Baptism and the Eucharist is, is one of the three sacraments of initiation of the Catholic Church. As the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples who were gathered in the upper room at Pentecost, so the Holy Spirit comes to every baptised person for whom the Church requests the gift of the Holy Spirit. It secures and strengthens him to be a living witness to Christ.

Who Can Receive?

Any baptised Catholic wishing to advance on the path of developing their faith. For young people, this is usually part of the 5th/6th class primary school programme. For adults who were not confirmed as children, it means taking part in the Rite of the Christian Initiation of Adults (R.C.I.A.)

Sponsor

A sponsor stands behind the candidate for Confirmation at the Confirmation ceremony and places their hand on the shoulder of the candidate as a sign that they will support them in living out their baptismal promises. However, the role of the sponsor is not just for one day. The sponsor undertakes to assist the confirmed person in growing in the fullness of their faith and in their membership of the Catholic Church.

A person qualifies as a sponsor by being a reasonably mature adult, who is at least 16 years old, and has already received the Sacraments of Initiation, (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist) themselves. The Confirmation sponsor may be one of the people who were a sponsor at Baptism (subject to the notes here).

Choosing a sponsor

(Ref. Code of Canon Law §874) To be admitted to undertake the office of sponsor, a person must: Be appointed by the candidate, or by the parents or whoever stands in their place, or failing these, by the parish priest or the minister; to be appointed the person must be suitable for this role and have the intention of fulfilling it; be not less than sixteen years of age, unless a different age has been stipulated by the diocesan Bishop, or unless the parish priest or the minister considers that there is a just reason for an exception to be made; be a Catholic who has been confirmed and has received the blessed Eucharist, and who lives a life of faith which befits the role to be undertaken; not be either the father or the mother of the candidate.

Name

The tradition of taking a new name at Confirmation emphasises the new identity of a Christian being called to witness to their faith. People are encouraged to take the name of a saint or a person from the Bible who inspires them in some way.

Oil

The oil used is called the Oil of Chrism. It is olive oil mixed with balsam that is blessed by the bishop and priests of the diocese in the Cathedral at the ‘Chrism Mass’ on Holy Thursday. The Sacrament is conferred with the anointing with this ‘Oil of Chrism’ on the forehead as the Bishop says ‘Be sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit’.

Resources :

Confirmation (short) 
A Rite of Passage 
Preparation involves everyone 
Confirmation (long) 
Questions and Answers (Tweeting with God) 
Philosophy of Religion 
Science and Religion 
Religious texts