To have your child baptized, please contact the parish. Parents should meet with the pastor in order to prepare for and schedule the baptism.
For children older than approximately seven years of age, they must attend Faith Formation classes to be learn about the Catholic Faith and be prepared to become a member of the Church. Please contact the parish for more information.
For adults who wish to be baptized, it is necessary to go through a period of preparation called the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. This is a program of prayer and study in preparation to be received into the Church at Eastertime.
Confirmation is a sacrament that continues the graces received through Baptism. Through Confirmation, we receive the Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord.
In the Archdiocese of Anchorage, Confirmation is typically conferred upon teenagers aged sixteen years, but the Sacrament can be received at any age depending on circumstances. Teenage candidates for Confirmation will be required to complete a two-year program of preparation involving study and prayer prior to receiving the sacrament. Classes are currently ongoing for Grades 9 - 10. Please contact the parish if your child needs this sacrament.
Adults who are already baptized and wish to be received into the Catholic Church through Confirmation must complete a program of prayer and study called the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. Please contact Fr. Patrick directly.
The Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist at his Last Supper and instructed the Apostles, who are the first bishops of the Church, to 'do this in memory of me.' For two thousand years the Church has been the guardian and protector of the Eucharist. At every mass the faithful receive Christ himself in the Eucharist in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. To receive the Eucharist is the greatest honor that a human being can receive in this world. The Eucharist is a sign of union with God, the Church, and the communion of the saints in heaven.
To receive the Eucharist, you must be a baptized member of the Catholic Church, and in communion with the Church's teaching and beliefs. The faithful normally receive their First Communion at approximately age seven, in second grade. Adult converts to the Faith can receive Communion after completing the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, which is a program of prayer and study for adults who wish to become members of the Catholic Church.
The union of man and woman in marriage is a universal human institution, but in the Catholic Church Christ has elevated this union to the level of the Sacrament of the Holy Matrimony. In the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, the union of a man and a woman in a relationship that is permanent, faithful, and fruitful is an earthly sign of God's perfect, unconditional and eternal love for his Church. The Church has the utmost respect and reverence for the Holy Sacrament.
Couples who wish to be married in the Church are asked to consult with the pastor at least six months prior to the planned date of the wedding in order that they be properly prepared for this Sacrament.
Holy Orders is the sacrament by which bishops, priests and deacons are ordained and receive the power and grace to perform their sacred duties. The sacred rite by which orders are conferred is called ordination. The apostles were ordained by Jesus at the Last Supper so that others could share in his priesthood. Men who wish to receive this sacrament and be ordained as priests of the Catholic Church should consult with the Bishop's office of their local Catholic diocese.
The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick calls forth God's healing graces for people who are seriously ill or elderly.
It also has the effect of forgiving sin, but is not to be used as a substitute for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Please contact a priest if you wish to receive this sacrament.
Father Patrick - 907-203-7844
Father James - 510-205-9103
Reconciliation, or confession as it is traditionally called, is a powerful sacrament of God's mercy for his people. Through the priesthood, Jesus forgives the sins of members of the Church in a powerfully intimate and personal way. Members of the Church are required to make at least one sacramental confession each year.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help offers Confession/Reconciliation on Saturdays at 3:15 p.m. and on Thursdays at 12:45 p.m., immediately following the conclusion of daily mass.
Examination of conscience: