We recognize that the Sacraments have a visible and invisible reality, a reality open to all the human senses but grasped in its God-given depths with the eyes of faith. When parents hug their children, for example, the visible reality we see is the hug. The invisible reality the hug conveys is love. We cannot "see" the love the hug expresses, though sometimes we can see its nurturing effect in the child.

The visible reality we see in the Sacraments is their outward expression, the form they take, and the way in which they are administered and received. The invisible reality we cannot "see" is God's grace, his gracious initiative in redeeming us through the death and Resurrection of his Son. His initiative is called grace because it is the free and loving gift by which he offers people a share in his life, and shows us his favor and will for our salvation. Our response to the grace of God's initiative is itself a grace or gift from God by which we can imitate Christ in our daily lives.

The saving words and deeds of Jesus Christ are the foundation of what he would communicate in the Sacraments through the ministers of the Church. Guided by the Holy Spirit, the Church recognizes the existence of Seven Sacraments instituted by the Lord. They are the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist), the Sacraments of Healing (Penance and the Anointing of the Sick), and the Sacraments at the Service of Communion (Marriage and Holy Orders). Through the Sacraments, God shares his holiness with us so that we, in turn, can make the world holier.

The Sacrament of Baptism is administered on the 1st  Sunday of each month at 12:00 p.m. We also welcome Baptisms during the last Sunday of the month at the 10:00 a.m. Mass (except during Lent). If you would like the Baptism of your child during Sunday Mass, please contact the Parish Office at 610-367-2371.
An online Baptismal Preparation Program titled Belonging: Baptism in the Family of God is required and a certificate received when you complete it.  (about a 90 minute course).  Once completed, email the certificate to [email protected] and one of the Deacons will set up an appointment to meet with you.  This program is intended to help parents spiritually prepare for their baby’s Baptism and to set the tone for being Christian parents.

Confessions are heard on Saturday from 3:00 to 3:45 pm and by appointment by contacting the Parish Office at 610-367-2371

As Catholic Christians, we believe that contained in the ordinary species of bread and wine after the consecration by an ordained priest, is the true body, blood, soul and divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  It is the REAL PRESENCE of Jesus.  This is what separates us from our Protestant Brethren.  For them receiving communion at their service is a mere symbol.  For us it is "real."

Come receive our Lord each Sunday in the Eucharist.  It is the best meal you will ever receive!

http://www.usccb.org/about/justice-peace-and-human-development/upload/eucharist-social-mission.pdf

The Bishop celebrates confirmation in the fall of each year with our Eighth Grade students. A year of preparation (their Seventh Grade) precedes the reception of the Sacrament.

Also, Confirmation is celebrated as part of our Easter Vigil Mass for all who prepared through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). These folks have prepared for at least six months in this process to be received into the Church and to conclude or receive the Sacraments of Initiation.



 

The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is also administered privately at any time, just by contacting the Parish Office. This Sacrament is meant for all the sick – those suffering physical, emotional, or spiritual illness.

Please click on this link for more information on this wonderful Sacrament:
https://www.catholic.com/tract/anointing-of-the-sick

Arrangements must be made a minimum of six (6) months before the date of the marriage. For your wedding ceremony to take place at St. Columbkill Parish, you need to be registered parishioners.  The Diocese of Allentown requires each couple to participate in a Marriage Preparation Course, either the regular Marriage Preparation or Engaged Encounter. We highly recommend Engaged Encounter as the best preparation for marriage.

Through ordination, priests become representatives of Christ to the Church—as witnesses of holiness and love, preachers of the Gospel, shepherds of the faithful, conveners of divine worship, and builders of the Church. Through their ministry, priests are called, in imitation of Christ, to “preach good news to the poor . . . proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord (Lk 4:18-19)” (Pope John Paul II, Pastores Dabo Vobis [I Will Give You Shepherds], no. 11). Deacons, too, are ordained to imitate Christ in his ministry of service and charity to the poor and needy in the community.