Holy Spirit
Sacramental Requirements
Baptism (Infants)
The most important event in your child’s life is baptism. Baptism is the action of the Holy Spirit that makes that child a son or daughter of God, a disciple of Jesus Christ, and opens the way for reception of the other sacraments of the Church. Therefore, the Church requires that the parents be instructed in the responsibility of raising their children in the faith of the Church. It is the faith of the parents and godparents that is crucial in nurturing the faith of the child.
The Baptism preparation classes consist of three sessions, each one building on the other (that is, the classes must be taken in sequence). They are intended to be taken by the parents during pregnancy, but will be provided for parents whose child is already born. After completing the three classes, the baptism of the child will then be scheduled. Please call the parish office to register.
Baptism (Children of Catechetical Age)
If your child is seven years old or older and has not been baptized, he or she will be received into the Church through an RCIC educational program that can be set up individually with the RCIA director. Please contact the director for more information.
“At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet ‘in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us” (CCC 1323).
Children are eligible for both sacraments when they are in the second grade. Preparation begins in the first grade.
Parents remain the primary catechists of their children and are expected to participate in the sacramental preparation program. Parents must attend the mandatory sacramental preparation teachings on the sacrament for which their children are preparing to receive.
The child must have a baptismal certificate on file in the Parish Religious Education Office (if not baptized at Holy Spirit).
The candidate must be registered in parish Catechism classes, attending a Catholic school and/or being taught at home. Regular attendance is expected in either program.
The child must be registered in parish Catechism classes, attending a Catholic school and/or being taught at home. Parents are personally responsible for this registration. Regular attendance is expected in either program.
The child must complete the sacramental preparation book, Jesus Brings Us Life issued by the Religious Education office.
According to our Holy Mother Church the child must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before receiving First Holy Communion.
Confirmation (Youth)
“Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the sacraments of Christian initiation, whose unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace. For by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed” (CCC 1285).
Children are eligible for the sacrament when they are in the eighth grade. Preparation begins in the seventh grade.
Parents remain the primary catechists of their children in this regard as well. Therefore, parents must attend the mandatory sacramental preparation teaching on the sacrament for which their child is preparing to receive.
The candidate must be registered in parish Catechism classes, attending a Catholic school and/or being taught at home. Regular attendance is expected in either program.
The candidate must score a 70% or higher on each of the four parts of the Diocesan Confirmation test.
The candidate must attend a retreat, to be set up by the Religious Education office, as required by the Diocese.
The candidate must interview with the Director of Religious Education prior to receiving the sacrament of Confirmation.
The candidate must choose a sponsor and work through the Confirmation Sponsor Manual with him or her. The sponsor can be any person who has completed the sacraments of initiation and leads a life in harmony with the Catholic faith and the role to be undertaken. The role of the sponsors, simply stated, is to assist the Confirmation candidates on their Christian journey.
The candidate must have a baptismal certificate on file in the parish Religious Education Office.
The candidate must choose a confirmation name and write a small research paper on the saint of their choosing.
Confirmation (Adult)
For various reasons, some Catholic adults missed receiving the sacrament of Confirmation in their youth. If you have not been confirmed, please contact our RCIA director for more information on how to be confirmed.
“The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament” (CCC 1601). The Diocese of Lansing requires a nine-month period of preparation, during which a number of requirements must be fulfilled. The wedding date cannot be set before the pastor has established the freedom of both parties to marry. No wedding can be celebrated before the couple has completed the prescribed preparations. Please contact the parish office for more information.