Other Sacramental Rites

Q What other sacramental rites evolved in the Church under the
guidance of the Holy Spirit?

A Other sacramental rites which evolved in the Church include
confirmation, ordination, holy matrimony, reconciliation of a
penitent, and unction.

Q How do they differ from the two sacraments of the Gospel?

A Although they are means of grace, they are not necessary for all
persons in the same way that Baptism and the Eucharist are.

Q What is Confirmation?

A Confirmation is the rite in which we express a mature commitment to
Christ, and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and
the laying on of hands by a bishop.

Q What is required of those to be confirmed?

A It is required of those to be confirmed that they have been
baptized, are sufficiently instructed in the Christian Faith, are
penitent for their sins, and are ready to affirm their confession of
Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

Q What is Ordination?

A Ordination is the rite in which God gives authority and the grace
of the Holy Spirit to those being made bishops,
priests, and deacons, through prayer and the laying on of hands by
bishops.

Q What is Holy Matrimony?

A Holy Matrimony is Christian marriage, in which the woman and man
enter into a life-long union, make their vows before God and the
Church, and receive the grace and blessing of God to help them fulfill
their vows.

Q What is Reconciliation of a Penitent?

A Reconciliation of a Penitent, or Penance, is the rite in which
those who repent of their sins may confess them to God in the presence
of a priest, and receive the assurance of pardon and the grace of
absolution.

Q What is Unction of the Sick?

A Unction is the rite of anointing the sick with oil, or the laying
on of hands, by which God's grace is given for the healing of spirit,
mind, and body.

Q Is God's activity limited to these rites?

A God does not limit himself to these rites; they are patterns of
countless ways by which God uses material things to reach out to us.

Q How are the sacraments related to our Christian hope?

A Sacraments sustain our present hope and anticipate its future
fulfillment.