The word Liturgy comes from the Greek “leitourgia” meaning “a work on behalf of the people.” , It is Christ, therefore, who, on our behalf, is the primary priest of the Mass; he is the one who baptizes, who confirms, who ordains, who anoints, and who continues to pray the psalms as he did on earth. Our public worship is through Christ, with Christ and in Christ. Within the Catholic Church it is used to describe all the public acts of worship that take place, as it draws the people into the work of God. 

“The liturgy is the celebration of the mystery of Christ and in particular his paschal mystery. Through the exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ the liturgy manifests in signs and brings about the sanctification of humankind. The public worship which is due to God is offered by the Mystical Body of Christ, that is, by its head and by its members” (Q. 218). Catechism of the Catholic Church

Liturgy is the divine worship of the Church and includes the celebration of Mass, the celebration of the Sacraments, and the Divine Office or Daily Prayer of the Church. The celebration of the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, and so all other liturgies flow from and to the celebration of Mass.

Liturgy is not just the words that are said, it is much much more than that.  Through the liturgy we encounter God, and our united with our brothers and sisters across the world as the Universal Church.

Sacraments are outward signs of inward grace, instituted by Christ for our sanctification.

There are seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmationthe Eucharist, Reconcillation, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. The purpose of the sacraments is to make people holy, to build up the body of Christ, and finally, to give worship to God; but being signs, they also have a teaching function. They not only presuppose faith, but by words and object, they also nourish, strengthen, and express it; that is why they are called "sacraments of faith." The sacraments impart grace, but, in addition, the very act of celebrating them disposes the faithful most effectively to receive this grace in a fruitful manner, to worship God rightly, and to practice charity. 

"Holy 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. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word." CCC

Baptism cleanses us from original sin, makes us beloved children of the Heavenly Father, and makes us members of the Body of Christ. The Church encourages infants to be baptized within the first several weeks after birth.
 

Please contact the Tri- Parish Office at 505-524-3127
or email at [email protected]
 to learn more or to schedule your child's or a member of your family's baptism.

Godparents should be confirmed and practicing Catholics. The godparent helps the parents to lead the child to profess the faith and to show this by living it. However a baptized and believing Christian not belonging to the Catholic Church may act as a Christian witness along with a Catholic Godparent, at the request of the parents. 

The Sacrament of Penance is an experience of the gift of God’s boundless mercy.  Not only does it free us from our sins but it also challenges us to have the same kind of compassion and forgiveness for those who sin against us.  We are liberated to be forgivers.  We obtain new insight into the words of the Prayer of St. Francis: “It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.”

Reconciliation (Confession) times for our Triparish

Parents with children seeking the Sacraments of Penance and First Eucharist should contact Becca Kuehn at 507 524-4606.

"So rich is the mystery of the Eucharist that we have a number of terms to illumine its saving grace: the Breaking of the Bread; the Lord’s Supper; the Eucharistic Assembly; the Memorial of Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection; the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Holy and Divine Liturgy; the Eucharistic Liturgy; Holy Communion; and Holy Mass" (cf. CCC, nos. 1328-1332).

The use of bread and wine in worship is already found in the early history of God’s people. In the Old Testament, bread and wine are seen as gifts from God, to whom praise and thanks are given in return for these blessings and for other manifestations of his care and grace. The story of the priest Melchizedek’s offering a sacrifice of bread and wine for Abraham’s victory is an example of this (cf. Gn 14:18). The harvest of new lambs was also a time for the sacrifice of a lamb to show gratitude to God for the new flock and its contribution to the well-being of the family and tribe.

These ancient rituals were given historical meaning at the Exodus of God’s people. They were united into the Passover Meal as a sign of God’s delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, a pledge of his fidelity to his promises and eventually a sign of the coming of the Messiah and messianic times. Each family shared the lamb that had been sacrificed and the bread over which a blessing had been proclaimed. They also drank from a cup of wine over which a similar blessing had been proclaimed.

When Jesus instituted the Eucharist he gave a final meaning to the blessing of the bread and the wine and the sacrifice of the lamb. The Gospels narrate events that anticipated the Eucharist. The miracle of the loaves and fish, reported in all four Gospels, prefigured the unique abundance of the Eucharist. The miracle of changing water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana manifested the divine glory of Jesus and the heavenly wedding feast in which we share at every Eucharist.

In his dialogue with the people at Capernaum, Christ used his miracle of multiplying the loaves of bread as the occasion to describe himself as the Bread of Life: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. . . Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you” (Jn 6:51, 53).

—From the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults

Parents with children seeking the Sacraments of Penanace and First Eucharist should contact
Becca Kuehn at 507 524-4606.

Confirmation, together with Baptism and Eucharist, form the Sacraments of Initiation that are all intimately connected. In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the baptized person is “sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit” and is strengthened for service to the Body of Christ.

Formation for youth seeking Confirmation takes place from ninth grade to eleventh grade through our Faith Formation program.  In eleventh grade the youth meet with Catechists from September until the time of their confirmation in November.

For more information about youth confirmation,  or for adults who have received the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist but have not been Confirmed contact Merissa Roth at 507 524-4606.

By their marriage, the couple witnesses Christ’s spousal love for the Church. One of the Nuptial Blessings in the liturgical celebration of marriage refers to this in saying, “Father, you have made the union of man and wife so holy a mystery that it symbolizes the marriage of Christ and his Church.”

The Sacrament of Marriage is a covenant, which is more than a contract. Covenant always expresses a relationship between persons. The marriage covenant refers to the relationship between the husband and wife, a permanent union of persons capable of knowing and loving each other and God. The celebration of marriage is also a liturgical act, appropriately held in a public liturgy at church. Catholics are urged to celebrate their marriage within the Eucharistic Liturgy.
 

Arrangements need to be made with the pastor at least six months in advance. 
Please call the parish office to schedule an appointment to meet with Fr. Swami, 507 524-3127.

The Rite of Anointing of the Sick tells us there is no need to wait until a person is at the point of death to receive the Sacrament. A careful judgment about the serious nature of the illness is sufficient. The Sacrament may be repeated if the sick person recovers after the anointing but becomes ill once again, or if, during the same illness, the person’s condition becomes more serious. A person should be anointed before surgery when a dangerous illness is the reason for the intervention. 
(cf. Rite of Anointing, Introduction, nos. 8-10).
 

This sacrament is always available by calling the parish office, 507 524-3127.

Those who receive the sacrament of Holy Orders — as a deacon, priest or bishop — are consecrated in Christ’s name “to feed the Church by the word and grace of God.”

 For More information about vocations to the priesthood and diaconate please see the diocesan website, or contact the Diocesan Director of Vocations,
Fr. Jason Kern, directly: (507)454-4643 ext. 253