Sacraments
First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion and Confirmation
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adult
Preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage
Baptisms in our Parish
Baptisms are celebrated on Sundays at 11.30am am in the Church of Sts John &
Paul, Willetton. There are no baptisms during Lent. At the Easter Vigil, the RCIA Elect receive the Sacraments
of Initiation.
The request for an infant Baptism should be made at least three weeks before the
date that the parents prefer. Contact is made in person or by phone at the
Parish Centre. Particulars for the Parish register are recorded and an
appointment made for the pre-Baptism preparation.
The aim of the preparation is to discuss the implications for the child's faith
development in the request for Baptism and to be aware of the rites of the
sacrament. In the case of the first child it is desirable that both parents be
present for the preparation, and if possible, the godparents.
First Reconciliation,
First Holy Communion and Confirmation
To prepare for these Sacraments children must go through a period of instruction
as prepared by Catholic Education or the Catechist Service and presented in
lessons by teachers in Catholic schools or by catechists.
If your child does not attend a Catholic school they are prepared in after
school classes to receive the Sacraments.
Classes are held at Orana, Tuesday, from 4 to 5pm.
Minimum age for reception of Sacraments:
| First Reconciliation | Year 3 |
| First Holy Communion | Year 4 |
| Confirmation | Year 7 |
Enrolments are held at the beginning of the school years or when you join the
parish.
Contact Religious Education Co-ordinator:
Mildred (08) 9450 4573
The Rite of Christian
Initiation of Adult
The RCIA Process
Each year there are up to 20 adults seeking to enter the Catholic Church within
the Willetton Parish. The process by which they are prepared for full
communion is known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (R.C.I.A). The value of this process as distinct from the previous
one-to-one instruction by the parish priest or a lay worker is that it is
community-based.
The candidates participate in over 30 weeks of group discussion and prayer with
a team of catechists and their individual
sponsors. This group, a mini-parish, allows the candidate to learn the basics
of Catholicism but at the same time hear how everyday Catholics live out their
faith.
The process culminates at the Easter Vigil Mass when the candidates are
baptised, receive the Eucharist for the first time and are confirmed, bringing
them into full union with the Church.
Parishioners are involved as catechists, sponsors, hospitality team
members or on the organising committee.
Sponsors
The RCIA process begins around August each year. As with previous years, we
will be looking for parishioners to be sponsors for candidates in the next
catechumenate.
A sponsor is any Catholic who is prepared to share his or her faith with a
candidate during the RCIA process. Sponsors are an integral part of this
process and act as friends, confidant and guides for their respective
candidates. Being a sponsor is an extremely rewarding experience and past
sponsors have found that they too have grown in faith by participating and
assisting in the RCIA process.
For further information on becoming a Catholic through the RCIA process or being
a sponsor, please contact: Howard - 0412 177 378 or click
to go to the R.C.I.A page.
Preparation for the
Sacrament of Marriage
Guidelines for the Sacrament
The Catholic parish of Willetton wants to offer you the best we can as
you prepare for the beautiful vocation of Marriage. We want you to encounter
the Lord in this Sacrament.
We believe He will come to you in the faith of our parish community, in the love
of a married couple, and in Father's gift of priesthood.
Many other people, especially your parents, will have prepared you for your big
day. Our part is to put some finishing touches.
Much of the life of any parish centres around the reception of the
Sacraments. They are sure ways to encounter Christ. How individuals experience
the various Sacraments depends to a large extent on how well they prepare to
receive them.
These guidelines are drawn up, in consultation with groups and parishioners, for
the benefit of people wishing to celebrate the Sacraments in our parish. We hope they will enable parishioners to enter more fully
into the Sacramental life of the parish, by clearly outlining our approach and
the programmes we offer. We hope couples will see the programmes offered as an
integral part of their Marriage preparations, which will help them as they begin
their life together as partners in a Christian Marriage. We sincerely invite
you to enter fully into this final time of preparation.
A Parish Welcomes Engaged Couples
Love and Marriage are two of God's most beautiful gifts to us. If your love is
so strong that you have made a commitment to marriage, then we as a parish
family welcome you both to celebrate your wedding with us in our parish
church. We believe marriage to be a covenant based on your love and faith for
each other - a commitment for life and blessed by God. Believing these things,
it is important for you to prepare as well as possible for your big day, and to
know clearly the details you need to arrange.
The purpose of this letter is to help the preparation run smoothly and to make
sure the main issues are discussed.
Some Practical Points
Notice of Marriage
Twelve months notice to the parish of an intended marriage would be ideal. A
minimum of six months is required.
See your priest-celebrant immediately. As soon as you have made a commitment to
marry, you should approach the priest who is to help you celebrate your
marriage. Priests outside the parish are always welcome to Sts. John and Paul. Who the celebrant will be needs to be known before a firm church
booking can be made.
Contact the parish Office (9332 5992) and have details of the marriage entered
into the parish diary. Among the details to be entered would be if the marriage
ceremony was to be celebrated within Mass or not. It is difficult to celebrate
wedding on Sunday in our parish because of Mass and Baptism commitments.
Preparation for Marriage
The Church requires preparation. Early notice of marriage enables couples to go
through this preparation in a relaxed way before attention is absorbed by the
details of the wedding day.
The Catholic Church sees marriage as a life long union between husband and wife.
It stands to reason that where such a step is being considered proper
preparation takes place beforehand. The preparation offered will touch on all
aspects of married life.
Couples contemplating marriage are asked to be part of:
- An Engaged Encounter Weekend or
- Parish Couple Marriage Program or
- Marriage Preparation (a day session) and
- Four follow up sessions with the celebrant.
Each of these sessions complements the other and gives each couple a good foundation for married life.
Booklets
Booklets setting out the marriage ceremony should be prepared by the couple.
The celebrant will be ready to help with these. These booklets help all present at the
wedding to take a more active part.
Place of Marriage
The normal place for the celebration of marriage in the case of a Catholic
couple is in the parish of either couple. In the case of a marriage between a
Catholic and non-Catholic the usual place would be the parish of the Catholic
party.
Certificates required
The couple will be expected to provide the celebrant with:
- Birth Certificates (full Birth Extracts, if not born in Australia: Passport or
Citizenship Certificate),
- Change of Name (if applicable),
- Baptismal Certificates (Issue should be within 6 months of the date of
marriage).
Permission / Dispensation
A marriage can take place in the Church between a Catholic person and a person
baptised in another faith, or a Catholic person and a person never baptised. In
these cases permission or a dispensation for the marriage to take place is given
by the Bishop. The application for this permission or dispensation is made by
the Catholic party.
In making the application the Catholic party is required to:
- Reaffirm their faith in Jesus Christ,
- Express their intention to live that faith in Catholic Church,
- To do all in their power to share their faith with their children by having
them baptised and brought up in the Catholic Church.
It is taken for granted that a couple has discussed these matters in detail prior to making arrangements for marriage in the Church. Should there be aspects you wish to discuss further you are invited to do so with the celebrant or some other priest.
Conditions for use of the church
Costs involved are generally by way of offering:
- An offering is made to the organist and musicians please ask them about this.
The cost of materials to be used in your preparation programme will be kept to a
minimum.
- A separate offering should also be made to the celebrant. As a guide to you
the present fee for a civil marriage is $250.
Music
Music for your wedding is an important part of the church ceremony and needs to
be arranged in consultation with the celebrant. Musicians and singers from
outside the parish are welcome.
If you need assistance from parish musicians and singers, approach them directly
after one of our Sunday Masses or contact John Richards (9310 2079). The music
and songs chosen should always be suitable to the occasion. Payments should be
arranged between the couple and musicians and singers.
Copyright licences may need to be applied also.
Flowers
Flower arrangements are in your hands. You may ask a friend to arrange your
flowers using church vases or a florist may bring them to the church already
arranged. If the wedding is celebrated on a Saturday, then the flowers would be
left in the church for the weekend. During Lent and Advent however, floral
arrangements will need to be removed after the Wedding.
Liturgical/Seasonal Decorations
Throughout the year the church is 'dressed' for the liturgical seasons. Any
banners etc. hanging in the church will not, must not be removed for weddings.
Confetti
Please advise your relatives and friends that confetti in or around the church
is not permitted because of the mess and the difficulty of cleaning it from the
paving.
Photographs/Video
Photographs and Videos are permitted during the marriage ceremony. However, it
is important for them to be taken discreetly and not to be a distraction. This
applies especially to the use of bright lights.
The church makes these requests of you out of care for you and your
marriage and the quality of your relationship. We look forward to helping you in
whatever way we can in your preparation for this important vocation of marriage.