St. Martin de Porres Parish First Sacraments Schedule 2023-2024
3891 Old Richmond Road www.stmartindeporresottawa.com
Dear Parents,
We, at St. Martin de Porres Parish, look forward to celebrating your child's First Sacraments with you this year. This is a very important step in your child's spiritual life and we encourage you to work with your child and us, to make this an exciting and blessed experience for your child.
This year we are providing mandatory sessions, along with the activity books for your child. You are asked to attend these sessions with your child and to complete the activity book together with your child, at home.
If you have any concerns or questions, please contact the office by phone or email. Thank you. (613-828-6720) email — stmartindeporreschurchl @gmailecom
Registration: (on line) December 1 to Feb.17. 2024. All information is on the parish website (above) under the heading "Sacraments" Your child's baptismal certificate MUST be attached or dropped off when picking up the activity books. After receiving your registration, parents will be notified and can pick up books in the front entrance, after weekend masses up to Feb. 17 (fee is $20.00 payable when picking up books).
Welcoming Mass for First Communion (mandatory): Sunday, April 21 at 9am.
Sessions for First Communion/first Reconciliation are Sundays, following the 9am Mass ( 10am to 11 am) April 21 & April 28. This will enable you to attend either the 9:00 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. Mass.
Completed books must be returned by Sunday, April 21, 2024
Enrolment Mass for Confirmation (mandatory):Sunday, April 7 (& first session) Sessions for Confirmation: Sundays April 7, & 14 at 10:00 am.
Retreat, Saturday, April 13. Time 10:00 a.m. - noon, followed by lunch. Books are to be returned by April 7, 2024.
Sessions will be 1 hour between the 9 & 11 o'clock Masses. Children are expected to attend one of the masses each Sunday and all sessions.
Dates for Sacraments: First Confession (Reconciliation)(for both Sacraments)
Wednesday, March 20, 2024* 7:pm
First Communion, Sunday, May 5, 2024 at 9:00 or 11:00 am
Confirmation, Wednesday, April 17, 2024 * 7:00 pm
Sacraments
Baptism
Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. The fruit of Baptism, or baptismal grace, is a rich reality that includes forgiveness of original sin and all personal sins, birth into the new life by which we become adoptive children of the Father, a member of Christ and a temple of the Holy Spirit. By this very fact the person baptized is incorporated into the Church, the Body of Christ, and made a sharer in the priesthood of Christ. Pease contact the Church office at 613-828-6720 to make arrangements.
First Reconciliation - Wed. March 20, 2024 - 7 p.m.
God loves us! God knows what the challenges of human life are all about, since Jesus experienced these same challenges and struggles. No matter how serious the sin, God's grace and mercy are infinitely greater. He knows our weaknesses but loves us without limit. When we celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, God strengthens us in our weakness and our hearts are open to receive the grace and mercy God desires for us. Regular confession is an effective means in growing closer to God and experiencing God in new ways in our lives that we never knew possible.
First Communion Sunday May 5, 2024 at either 9:00 or 11 a.m.
Welcoming mass Sunday April 21st at 9:00 mass. First Communion sessions Sunday April 21st and 28th at 10:00 a.m.
Completed books to be reurned by Sunday April 21, 2024.
We, as Catholics, believe the Eucharist, is both a sacrifice and a meal. We believe in the real presence of Jesus when the bread and wine become consecrated by the power of the Holy Spirit. As the Eucharistic bread and cup which become the real Body and Blood of Christ are then shared in our worshipping assembly, the Holy Spirit draws us all into ever deeper unity, making us one body in Christ. We are made into "living sacrifice," participants in Christ's sacrificial death and rising, a new creation. Eucharist is at the center of God's loving embrace of our world and is at the core of who we are as Catholics.
Welcome to the registration for your child for the sacraments of First Reconciliation (First Confession) and First Eucharist (First Communion)
We look forward to you and your family in preparing and celebrating these special sacraments, which are the next steps in your child’s spiritual journey.
We encourage you to participate fully in this preparation by working with your child on the preparation activity booklets. You will be contacted and invited to pick these up after your registration. We are asking for a donation of $20.00 to cover the cost of the books if you are able to do so.
It is also important to familiarize your child with the prayers and order of the Mass by attending Church or watching our virtual Sunday Mass on any of these three social platforms:
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM-zqe8Ntgj72LPUGHetpFA?reload=9
Church Website
https://sites.google.com/site/saintmartindeporresparish/
https://www.facebook.com/stmartindpottawa/?view_public_for=2081319801946194
Another resource is our Children’s Liturgy page on our parish website:
https://sites.google.com/site/saintmartindeporresparish/our-community/childrens-liturgy
Your child must be in Grade 2 or older to register and must have been baptized in the Roman Catholic Faith. If your child has not yet been baptized please contact the office. (Phone 613 828 6720 Email: stmartindeporreschurch1@gmail.com)
February 17th - Deadline for registration and picking up activity books
Please click the link below to access the Registration Form.
**Make sure to attach a copy of your child’s Baptismal Certificate
(For convenience you may wish to scan and save the copy of your baptismal certificate on your computer desktop.)
Registration Form for Reception of First Communion
In Confirmation the bishop seals us, the baptized, with the Gift of the Holy Spirit. This sacrament is intended to:
root us more deeply as sons and daughters of God,
incorporate us more firmly into Christ,
strengthen our bond with the Church,
associate us more closely with the mission of the Church, and
strengthen us to bear witness to the Christian faith.
CONFIRMATION Wed. April 17, 2024 - 7 p.m.
Confirmation at St Martin de Porres is normally celebrated in the spring of the year with students in Grade 6 and older. Preparation for Confirmation is done primarily at home by the parents. An activity book for the students is provided by the parish to assist parents with this preparation.The students will be required to complete the activity pages of this book and also to attend a half-day retreat Saturday April 13, 2024 from 10:00 to 12:00 followed by a light lunch. Thee sessions are scheuled for students receiving Confirmation.after 9 a.m. on April 7th and 14th. Books are to be returned by April 7, 2024.
Please use and submit the attached form to register your child on line. A copy of the student's Baptismal Certificate, from a Roman Catholic Church, must be attached to the registration form.After receiving the form, the church will contact you to arrange a time for you to pick up the activity book between We ask for a donation of $25.00 to cover the cost of thebook and the retreat, payable when you pick up your book, if you are able to do so.Thank you. We look forward to celebrating this next very special step in your child's spiritual growth and faith journey.
**Make sure to attach a copy of your child’s Baptismal Certificate
(For convenience you may wish to scan and save the copy of your baptismal certificate on your computer desktop.)
Matrimony
Married Christians nourish and develop their marriage by undivided affection, which wells up from the fountain of divine love within them, while, in a merging of human and divine love, they remain faithful in body and in mind, in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad times.
Engaged couples should contact the parish office at least six months prior to the proposed date of marriage.
Once the Covid-19 restrictions have been relaxed please contact the Church office at 613-28-6720 to make arrangements
Anointing of the Sick
The Church offers the sacrament of anointing to those who are seriously sick and dying - patients before serious surgery; elderly people who are very weak; sick children old enough to understand and be comforted by the sacrament, and those who are suffer from mental illness. Patients who are unconscious will also receive the sacrament since it would be their desire to receive it if they could voice their desire.
When to request the Anointing of the Sick and Dying? When a family member or friend is ill, if you are preparing to have surgery, or if a loved one is dying � contact the office immediately to arrange for a time to celebrate this sacrament. The Anointing of the Sick and the Dying have replaced what was formerly known as LAST RITES. If circumstances permit, do not wait until the person is unconscious or barely able to talk or respond. The more conscious and alert the person is, the more fully they can take part in the celebration and be comforted. The Anointing of the Sick and the Dying have replaced what was formerly known as LAST RITES.
Please contact the Church office at 828-6720 to arrange a visit by Father Titus