Na Sacraiminti - Sacraments
Baisteadh - Baptism
The Roman Catholic Church considers baptism, even for infants, so important that "parents are obliged to see that their infants are baptised within the first few weeks" and, "if the infant is in danger of death, it is to be baptised without any delay."
It declares: "The practice of infant Baptism is an immemorial tradition of the Church.
There is explicit testimony to this practice from the second century on, and it is quite possible that, from the beginning of the apostolic preaching, when whole 'households' received baptism, infants may also have been baptized."
An Chead Chomaoineach Naofa - 1st Holy Communion
First Communion (First Holy Communion) is a Roman Catholic ceremony.
It is the colloquial name for a person's first reception of the sacrament of the Eucharist.
Roman Catholics believe this event to be very important, as the Eucharist is one of the central focuses of the Roman Catholic Church.
First communion typically happens around age 7/8, depending on which country, however adults that have not received their First Communion can go through a separate program (RCIA) to receive this sacrament.
Coineartu - Confirmation
Confirmation, known also as Chrismation, is one of the seven sacraments through which Catholics pass in the process of their religious upbringing.
In this sacrament they are said to receive the Holy Spirit.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
It is evident from its celebration that the effect of the sacrament of Confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost.
From this fact, Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace:
* it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry, "Abba! Father!" (Romans 8:15);
* it unites us more firmly to Christ;
* it increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us;
* it renders our bond with the Church more perfect (cf. Lumen gentium, 11);
* it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross (cf. Council of Florence (1439): DS 1319; LG 11;
12).[1]Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear in God's presence. Guard what you have received. God the Father has marked you with his sign; Christ the Lord has confirmed you and has placed his pledge, the Spirit, in your hearts.
Catholics believe that Confirmation is based on Biblical precedent such as Acts of the Apostles 8:14-17:
Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the holy Spirit.
Athchairdeas - Confession / Penance / Reconciliation
Penance is repentance of sins as well as the proper name of the Catholic and Orthodox Christian Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation/Confession.
The word penance derives from Old French and Latin poenitentia, both of which derive from the same root meaning repentance, the desire to be forgiven
In the Catholic Church, the sacrament of Penance consists of three parts: contritio, confessio and satisfactio.
Contritio is in fact repentance as Protestant theologians understand it, i.e. love of God causing sorrow for sins committed, and long before the Reformation the schoolmen debated the question whether complete "contrition" was or was not in itself sufficient to obtain the Divine pardon.
The Council of Trent decided, however, that no reconciliation could follow such contrition without the other parts of the sacrament, which form part of it (sine sacramenti voto, quod in ilia indudatur).
Contrition is also distinguished from "attrition" (attritio), i.e. amoral repentance due to fear of punishment.
It was questioned whether a state of mind thus produced would suffice for obtaining the benefits of the sacrament; this point was also set at rest by the Council of Trent, which decided that attrition, though not in itself capable of obtaining the justification of the sinner, is also inspired by God and thus disposes the soul to benefit by the grace of the sacrament.
