Rites & Sacraments

Rites & Sacraments

Infant Baptism:

On 1st Sunday every alternate month (unless stated in Bulletin). 

INTRODUCTION

The birth of a child is one of the most powerful signs of God's presence in our world; it is an event that generates boundless love, joy and hope.

When a child is born, the lives of husband and wife will never be the same again because now they are called to share their lives as parents- as FAMILY.

Whether the child is their first or fourth the presence of each new life is a time for parents to pause to celebrate-in FAITH-the great significance of both their desire to have their child welcomed into the Christian family-the Church.

The clergy and parishioners of Holy Redeemer, Klang Church believe it is our obligation to reach out to parents during this very special time and provide support and assistance in making the most of a grace-filled and God centered moment in a family's history-the Baptism of a child.

PRE BAPTISM REQUIREMENTS

Infant baptism includes children from birth until their 7th birthday.

We do not deny Baptism to a child if the parents are unmarried or not married in the Catholic Church. However, there may be reason to postpone Baptism if parents are not practicing the Faith, or have no intention of living a Catholic life.

At least one of the parents must attend church at Holy Redeemer Church , Klang.  At least one parent must meet with the priest at least 2 weeks prior to the planned baptism to complete the baptismal information sheet and to schedule the Baptism. Please call ahead to assure the priest is available. The Birth Certificate needs to be brought to the meeting.

Persons who are registered in another parish, and wish to have their child baptized at Holy Redeemer, Klang for a just cause, MUST have the permission of their pastor and must attend a Baptism Preparation class either at Holy Redeemer, Klang or any Catholic parish. Proof of attendance is required.

Godparents (sponsors)

A child may have one or two godparents (sponsors). These are their requirements:

1) at least 16 years of age;

2) Confirmed and practicing the Catholic Faith;

3) living in harmony with the Faith and a good role model for the one being baptized. You may choose a Catholic as a Christian witness, as long as you also have a Catholic sponsor who fits the above requirements. Parents cannot be their own child’s godparents. Godparents should attend the baptism preparation class. If the Godparents are from another parish a letter needs to be provided for the Catholic Godparents from the pastor or priest of their parish.

THE BAPTISMAL CEREMONY

• All parents may invite as many relatives and friends to the Baptismal Ceremony as they wish.

• Parents and Godparents have an active part in the ceremony • A Baptismal Candle will be presented to the parents during the ceremony unless one is brought by the family.

• A Baptismal Record (certificate) can be obtained by calling during the baptism or Office.

BAPTISMAL ETIQUETTE

• Please be on time, since there are other families participating in the ceremony along with your own. Please try to be in the church at least 15 minutes early. We will start on time!

• Photographs may be taken during the ceremony.

• Since the Church is a sacred place loud talking and other distracting forms of behavior are out of order. • All cell phones and beepers should be turned off when you are in the church. They detract from the sacredness of the Sacrament.

 

Please come to the Parish Office for more info and to fill up the form.

Parents & Godparents are required to attend 2 classes prior to the Baptism date. They will be contacted by the teacher on the dates of the classes.

12th April 7th June 2nd August 4th October

Matrimony:

Please come to the Parish Office for more info and to fill up the form.

Stage One: Introduction And Orientation

Marriage Preparation: A Commitment Of Time

Goals: To give couples adequate time to prepare for marriage and the wedding celebration. To provide the pastoral minister and the engaged couple an opportunity to develop a relationship with one another.

Policy: Ideally the marriage preparation process should begin when the engagement is announced even if that is more than a year before the proposed wedding date. Normally the preparation process begins not less than one year before the desired wedding date.

A Couple’s First Contact With The Parish

Goals: To reflect Christ’s love and the Church’s concern for engaged couples by providing a warm and congratulatory welcome. To recognize that regardless of a couple’s active or inactive affiliation with the Church, many are apprehensive about the initial contact and may need encouragement and support.

Policy: The parish staff should facilitate arrangements for the couple to meet with the pastoral minister as soon as possible. A wedding date is not to be entered, even tentatively, into the parish calendar until such a meeting takes place.

Discussion: • The engaged couple initiates the marriage preparation process when they call the parish to inquire about being married in the Church. It is important that the first persons contacted by the couple seeking a Church wedding have the information and skills to assist them in a pastoral manner. • Experience has shown that some couples have been discouraged, even alienated, by parish personnel merely stating the requirements necessary to celebrate marriage. This can undermine the intent of these guidelines. It is essential therefore to provide training for secretaries and receptionists in terms of attitude, tone of voice and the type of information they give the couple. • This is a special moment in the lives of the couple and a time when they should be assured of the Church’s readiness to be of assistance to them.

Initial Meeting(s) With The Couple

Goals:

To establish a rapport with the couple by communicating an attitude of openness, support and hospitality.

To explain the marriage preparation process.

To provide information about available marriage preparation programs.

To ascertain the couple’s canonical and civil eligibility for marriage.

To determine the date for the wedding, if possible. To nurture the couple’s faith by encouraging their spiritual preparation.

Policy: Soon after a couple makes an initial contact with the parish, a meeting should take place with the pastoral minister before they participate in any formal marriage preparation program. There is a real value at this stage of the process for the couple to confer with the pastoral minister who will officiate at the wedding.

Discussion:

• The marriage preparation process can provide teachable moments for evangelization, particularly for those couples who do not have a strong faith commitment. Therefore, a caring response from the pastoral minister may be an invitation for the couple to take a deeper look at their faith.

• Review and explain the pastoral concerns and commitment of the Church as expressed in the Pastoral Polices and Guidelines for Marriage Preparation. The couple’s edition of this handbook should be given to the engaged couple to facilitate their understanding of the requirements of the marriage preparation process.

• Explore the motives for marriage and any special circumstances that may affect their marriage, for example: age, cultural background, pregnancy, military service, physical or mental disability, levels of faith development and religious issues. If any impediment or special circumstance seems to be present, refer to the special circumstances section of these guidelines.

• It is recommended that in the initial session the bride and groom assisted by the pastoral minister complete the biographical portion of the required canonical forms. This may reveal any canonical impediment that would prevent setting a wedding date.

• Instruct the couple in regard to Church and civil documents that will be required. Š Baptismal Certificates (issued within six months) Š Affidavits of Freedom to Marry

In the event of a second marriage:

Š A Civil Decree of Divorce

Š An Ecclesiastical Decree of Annulment, or

Š A Death Certificate

• Couples have many questions about the celebration of their wedding. A well-prepared parish fact sheet/booklet can obviate the necessity of repeating the most basic answers about such things as the documents that they will need to obtain, how to make contact with an approved diocesan or parish marriage preparation program, wedding or rehearsal times, parish musicians, fees, and the like.

• The wedding date may be set provided there are no canonical impediments or other special circumstances that might delay the marriage. Pastoral ministers should familiarize themselves with all the special circumstances in Section III and be especially aware of those that may call for a delay in the wedding date.

• The couple should be reminded of the importance of personal prayer and participation in the sacramental life of the Church as they prepare for their marriage. If one of the Catholic parties has not been confirmed he or she should be encouraged to begin preparation for the sacrament although the reception of Confirmation itself is not required prior to marriage. (c. 1065 §1 states, “Catholics who have not yet received the sacrament of Confirmation are to receive it before they are admitted to marriage if it can be done without grave inconvenience”.)

• The pastoral minister may discuss the value of a special blessing for the engaged couple (Cf. Book of Blessings, pp. 96-101 Art. #195)

Addressing A Couple’s Experience And Needs

Goals: To assist a couple in assessing their own insights, understanding and mutual communication as part of preparation for Christian marriage. To address the particular needs of each individual couple by recommending appropriate preparation opportunities and, if necessary, further counseling for special concerns.

Policy: During the initial meeting, or in a subsequent meeting with the couple, the administration of a communications assessment instrument, a premarital inventory, is strongly recommended as an effective way to bring clarity to a couple’s individual and shared experience as well as their own hopes for and expectations about marriage. When special circumstances warrant, refer to Section III.

Discussion:

• Just as every person is unique, so is each couple unique. Working with people preparing for marriage may offer many insights. But no one couple is an exact copy of another. Each time a couple approaches them, pastoral ministers are invited to become acquainted anew with the mystery of how human love and divine love are working themselves out in a particular way.

• Couples need to understand that they will come to know themselves in new ways. Through one another and in their mutual relationship, they can experience together the joys and sorrows of human love, the destructive influence of selfishness and sin and the uplifting power of genuine selfgiving and sharing God’s grace.

• The Church encourages the use of premarital communication instruments that can help couples to understand better where they are in their own relationship as they begin their marriage preparations. Results of taking such instruments can also help couples to review the implications for marriage preparation or any special circumstances in which they find themselves

Stage Two: Marriage Catechesis and Formation

Participation In A Shared Preparation Process

Goal: To facilitate the engaged couple’s participation in a formational process of marriage preparation offered by the Church community.

Policy: A variety of diocesan or parish sponsored preparation programs are to be available for couples. Discussion: • All couples are to be prepared by the Church for marriage.

• The occupational demands made on their time and their residential geographical locations require that they be offered reasonable options when informed of their required participation in a marriage preparation program.

• Although convenient for most, couples are not to be restricted to programs offered in their parish or diocese.

• The type of marriage preparation programs currently available within the Archdiocese are:

Š Catholic Marriage Preparation course - Weekend

Š Catholic Marriage Preparation course - 7 weeks

Marriage Preparation Programs

Goal: To provide trained married couples for service in marriage preparation ministry (i.e. Catholic Marriage Preparation Course).

Policy: Pastors are to recruit and, with the assistance of diocesan family life offices, train validly married couples competent and willing to help engaged couples prepare for Christian marriage. The selection of married team couples should reflect the diversity of engaged couples in terms of age, cultural heritage and faith tradition.

Discussion:

• By Baptism all members of the Church are called to build up the Body of Christ. • If marriage preparation in all its phases should be the concern of the entire Christian community (Cf. Familiaris Consortio and Faithful to Each Other) certainly married couples should have an important role in the immediate preparation of the engaged.

• In recruiting and training married couples for marriage preparation ministry, it is important that they be properly trained with due regard for the teachings of the Church on Christian marriage (Cf. #43 Preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage, Pontifical Council on the Family.)

• Experience has proven the value of the witness of married couples, who live their vocation in light of the Gospel, in preparing couples for marriage. When married couples speak out of their own conviction and from personal experiences about God, Church, love, commitment, sacrifice, forgiveness, prayer, stewardship and service, they offer a powerful witness.

• Married couples who serve in this capacity find that their encounter with the engaged enriches and strengthens their own marriages. Pastoral wisdom warrants that these successfully married couples should form the core of a marriage preparation team.

• Toward this end marriage preparation programs will strive to make ample time and space for the engaged couple’s reflection and discussion, and for dialogue with those serving on marriage preparation teams. It is important to encourage the couple’s on-going dialogue throughout the marriage preparation process.

Stage Three: Pastoral Sessions, Wedding Liturgy & Beyond

Affirmation Of The Couple’s Readiness For Marriage

Goal: To affirm the readiness of the couple for Christian marriage.

Policy: Following their participation in a marriage preparation program, the couple will meet with the pastoral minister as soon as it is convenient. Once sufficient readiness for marriage is affirmed the liturgical planning may take place.

Discussion:

• Since there are a variety of pre-marital programs available it is essential that the pastoral minister is assured that the couple understands the sacramental dimension of marriage. • Discuss the engaged couple’s response to the interest, care, and the time given by the married couples helping them.

• The married couple’s evident happiness, example of faith in God, commitment to one another and loyalty to the Church may tremendously influence the engaged couple. How was this expressed in the engaged couple’s experience? Did it give them strong hope for their own future? Did it inspire them now to become reconciled with the Church or to participate more in its life?

• It is important to help the couple reflect on any serious or unresolved issues and concerns, any value and effect that the faith of the parish community had upon them during their preparation, and what they have learned about themselves, the parish, the Church, and Marriage. This is the time to ask, “What else needs to be covered/discussed?” before preparing for the wedding liturgy. This time should be used to encourage the reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

• Completion of pre-nuptial documentation should take place at this meeting.

• Review the substantive questions regarding marital commitment. • Collect any outstanding documents and/or witness forms.

• Complete the pre-nuptial documentation with the couple.

• If the couple is unfamiliar with liturgical ritual this can be another occasion for uncertainty and anxiety. The couple can be reassured by the pastoral minister if the liturgical planning resources for their wedding liturgy are given and explained to them at this time.

Immediate Plans For the Wedding Liturgy

Goals: To assist couples in the planning of their wedding liturgy so that the celebration expresses and deepens their faith and experience of the mystery of God’s love in their marriage.

To provide information and resources to an engaged couple in order to enhance their understanding of the rite of marriage and provide guidance as they begin the process of personally selecting those prayers and scripture readings which reflect their loving relationship and individuality as a couple.

Policy: In liturgical preparation, the pastoral minister will assist the engaged couple in planning a celebration that is “simple and dignified”, according to the norms of the competent authorities of the Church” (Familiaris Consortio, #67). Since Christian marriage is a sacramental action of the Church, “the liturgical celebration of marriage should involve the Christian community, with full, active and responsible participation of all those present, according to the place and task of each individual” (Familiaris Consortio, #67). The celebration of a Nuptial Mass is most appropriate for a couple who are both practicing Catholics.

Planning a Nuptial Ceremony (outside of Mass) would be an appropriate choice for a couple who reflect differing faith traditions. Consult diocesan guidelines for the celebration of interchurch and interfaith marriages.

Discussion:

• In planning the wedding liturgy, the couple should be offered the assistance of a musician, pastoral minister, sponsor couple or a parish member who is trained in liturgical planning and familiar with the local church’s interior appointments and design. • Such help may be invaluable in a discussion of all aspects and choices for their wedding liturgy, with due consideration given to the rubrics contained within the Catholic Rite of Marriage, parish policies and local guidelines. 16

• The wedding ceremony should reflect the distinctive quality of Christian faith, with special attention given to the celebration of the Word, the exchange of vows by the couple promising to live together in loving trust and fidelity, and the nuptial blessing.

• It is also possible for the planners, in accordance with concrete circumstances of time and place, “to include in the liturgical celebration such elements proper to each culture which serve to express more clearly the profound human and religious significance of the marriage contract, provided that such elements are in harmony with Christian faith and morality” (Familiaris Consortio, #67). Care and prudent consideration will determine what can be fittingly introduced from the traditions and cultures of individual people, without conflicting with the theological meaning of the wedding ceremony.

• The preparation of a brochure highlighting local marriage guidelines, procedures for contacting parish music ministers and offering a rationale for selecting appropriate music for wedding liturgies would be most helpful and could be shared with the couple at this time. Books such as Together for Life and Marriage is for Keeps are examples of resources available for couples’ use in selecting the scriptures and reviewing the elements of the marriage rite.

• If a visiting pastoral minister is to officiate the wedding, a copy of the parish marriage guidelines should be sent to him well in advance of the wedding date.

• Couples planning weddings during the seasons of Advent and Lent should be advised of the special nature of these liturgical seasons and plan accordingly (e.g. selections of appropriate music and antiphons; limitations on choice of text for readings at Nuptial Masses, decoration of the worship environment reflective of the season.

• Details of the completed wedding liturgy should be reviewed by the officiant prior to the rehearsal. The Rehearsal • Set a date and time for the rehearsal. It is further encouraged that the clergy (or designate) provide a prayerful introduction to the rehearsal, which often has a calming effect upon those present, and encourages their reflective participation and cooperation.

• This is often the first opportunity for some members of the family and bridal party to meet. The engaged couple is encouraged to make the appropriate introductions of parents and family members to the witnessing clergy or person(s) designated to conduct the rehearsal.

• It is recommended that the civil marriage license be presented at that time as well as the wedding program booklets (if applicable).

• It is important that anyone who is participating in a special way in the liturgy (e.g. gift bearers, altar servers or especially those proclaiming the scripture readings) be present at the rehearsal in order to familiarize themselves with the church’s layout and to receive instructions appropriate to their role in the wedding liturgy.

• The engaged couple should be encouraged to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation in advance of the wedding day. Announcing the availability of the Sacrament of Reconciliation following the rehearsal often affords the bride, groom and others a privileged opportunity to receive the grace of the sacrament and to deepen their awareness of the sacred character of their soon to be created marriage covenant

Funerals:

Please come to the Parish Office for more info and to fill up the form.

GUIDELINES FOR CATHOLIC FUNERALS

The Catholic Church, through its funeral rites and prayers, offers consolation to those who grieve, gives thanks to God for the blessings received through and by the deceased, shows reverence for the body that remains, commends them to God, and asks God for mercy on all sinners.

The Church’s funeral rites help us to confront death in the light of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. “In the face of death the Church confidently proclaims that God has created each person for eternal life and that Jesus, by his death and resurrection, has broken the chains of sin and death that bound humanity.” (Order of Christian Funerals #1)

Who can/cannot have a Funeral Mass?

A Funeral Mass ought to be celebrated for every deceased Catholic, and can be celebrated for catechumens, and for unbaptized infants if their parents intended baptism. It is possible to have a Funeral Mass for baptized members of other Christian churches, unless it is evidently contrary to their will, and provided their own minister is unavailable. In uncertain situations, the Chancery Office is to be consulted. A Funeral Mass is not denied on the basis of a person’s marital status, Mass attendance record, manner of death, or any financial consideration. Funeral rites may be denied for notorious apostates, heretics, schismatics, and other manifest sinners. The denial of funeral rites is a decision left to the prudent judgment of the Diocesan Bishop who is to be consulted in cases where scandal might arise from permitting a funeral to take place in the Church.

Catholic funeral rites are threefold and include the Vigil, Funeral Mass, and Rite of Committal.

The Vigil service includes Scripture readings and prayers for the deceased and those who grieve. It is the first time the community gathers to mourn the death of one of its members, and to provide prayerful support for the family which bears the burden of sorrow. The Vigil is conducted by a priest or deacon and usually takes place in the funeral home the day before the Funeral Mass.

The Funeral Mass is the principal celebration of the Christian funeral (OCF #5), and ought to be celebrated for every deceased Catholic. A Liturgy of the Word outside Mass may be celebrated instead of a Funeral Mass if it was the expressed wish of the deceased. The parish priest is to be consulted to arrange a Funeral Mass or Liturgy of the Word (OCF #350).

The Mass is celebrated in the church, never in a funeral home. A Liturgy of the Word, presided over by a priest or deacon, should be held in the church, but may take place in the funeral home.

The Rite of Committal is the last farewell of the community, and is an expression of the communion that exists between the Church on earth and the Church in heaven. In committing the body or cremated remains to their final resting place (grave, columbarium, mausoleum), the community expresses the hope that, with all those who have gone before, marked with the sign of faith, the deceased awaits the glory of the resurrection. The rite of committal usually follows the Funeral Mass. If cremation is to take place after the Funeral Mass, then burial or committal is delayed. Cremated remains are to be buried, not scattered. If burial is in a non Catholic cemetery, the grave is to be blessed.