Sacraments

A sacrament is a visible sign, instituted by Jesus Christ, by which invisible grace and inward sanctification are communicated to the soul (from Fr. John Hardon’s Modern Catholic Dictionary). 

Through encounters with Christ in the sacraments, we allow our lives to become channels of God’s grace that transform the community around us! We can become living representations of God’s love and Good News.

Baptism is generally administered to infants of Catholic parents and takes place during Mass on a rotating schedule in English. Baptisms in Spanish are during the 1:00 pm Spanish Mass. Parents should schedule their date in advance through the Parish Office. English Baptism preparation class is held on the first Tuesday of each month in the Parish Library. Spanish Baptism preparation is held on the 2nd Sunday of each month in the Parish Center Conference Room. Registration is required.

Also a sacrament of initiation, Holy Eucharist is the greatest of all sacraments, as it is truly the body and blood of Christ. Receiving Holy Communion during Mass is the source and summit of our Christian life and it is the living presence of Christ in the Holy Church. When we truly understand that the Eucharist is Christ himself and not a mere symbol, it all makes sense; the beginning and end of our lives as Christians is Christ and Christ alone.

The greatest of all the sacraments, the Holy Eucharist is the living presence of Christ in our Holy Church. The celebration of the Holy Eucharist at Holy Mass is truly the source and summit of our Christian life. It is the source of our Christian life because from the Holy Eucharist all graces that aid the Christian life flow. It is the summit because all the graces that are given through the Holy Eucharist lead those who received the graces back to the Holy Eucharist. When we truly understand that the Eucharist is Christ himself and not a mere symbol, it all makes sense: the beginning and end of our lives as Christians is Christ and Christ alone.

St. Joseph Parish is blessed to have Holy Mass offered many times a week and an adoration chapel which is open all day and night for the entire year. Please join us for this most important part of our Catholic lives.

If you are homebound and would like to receive Communion in your home, please call the office at (636) 227-5247.

You are encouraged to have Holy Mass offered for the deceased, for a particular deceased loved one, for someone living, and even for yourself. Please contact the parish office for more information at (636) 227-5247.

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Confirmation strengthens your soul by deepening the virtues and gifts of the Holy Spirit that you receive at baptism, and it also gives to you the strength to go and spread and defend the faith in response to Jesus’ command, “Go forth and preach the gospel to all nations.”

The third of the sacraments of initiation, Confirmation strengthens your soul by deepening virtues and gifts of the Holy Spirit that you receive in Baptism, and it gives you the strength to spread and defend your faith in response to Jesus’ command, “Go forth and preach the Gospel to all nations.”

The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, also called the Sacrament of Confession, is the sacrament in which you are forgiven of all of the sins you have committed since the last time you made a good confession. Even though it goes by different names, each highlighting a different aspect, it is one sacrament. The Catholic goes before the priest, who stands in the person of Christ, who is a merciful and loving judge who desires both to acknowledge the sins we have committed and forgive them by washing them with His Precious Blood.

In order to prepare for this sacrament, it is important to make a good examination of conscience in order that you can be assisted in remembering your sins so that your confession may be as complete as possible.

Even if it has been a while since you have been to the sacrament, go in and be honest with the priest. He will assist you with the practical ‘how to get through confession’ details. Your job is to be open and honest with him so that our Lord is able to work as fully on your soul as he wants to. So long as you are completely honest, you confess everything that you can remember, and you truly desire to amend your life, you will find confession truly freeing, because unlike anything else, through confession we are truly forgiven.

Regularly scheduled individual Reconciliation is each Saturday from 7:30-8:30 am and each Wednesday at 7:30 pm. One may also approach any of the priests to receive the sacrament of Penance. Please consult the bulletin regarding additional opportunities for the reception of this sacrament.

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you,
and I detest all of my sins,
because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell,
but most of all because they offend you, my God,
who are all good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace,
to confess my sins, to do penance,
and to amend my life.
Amen.

Through the sacrament of Holy Matrimony, a man and a woman are joined as husband and wife in an irrevocable, covenantal bond. The husband and wife become a living witness to the Church of Christ’s unfailing love for her as the couple, no matter what difficulties might be before them, remain faithful to the promises they made on their wedding day.

If you have recently been engaged, congratulations! Please contact your priest as soon as possible, as all arrangements for weddings through the parish must be made at least six months in advance. The first step to making everything happen and establishing a date is to contact a priest at the parish. He will explain the whole process at your first meeting.

For more information about scheduling your wedding at St. Joseph Please Click here

The Sacrament of Holy Orders is the sacrament by which men are joined to Christ in a particular way giving them powers and responsibilities needed to serve the faithful of the Church. Together, bishops, priests, and deacons form the hierarchy of the Church instituted by Christ. Their authority is given to them to be of service to the gospel and to the faithful who hold to the gospel truths.

The deacons of the Church are joined to Christ the servant and assist his pastor and bishop in preaching, baptisms, marriages, and other acts of service.

The priests of the Church are joined to Christ the head and are given the power to act in his very person especially through the sacrament of Holy Eucharist and the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation but also by extension in his entire pastoral work.

The bishops of the Church are chosen from among the priests to shepherd entire dioceses. Bishops have received the fullness of Holy Orders, and through their ordination, they possess within themselves all that is needed for the sanctification, teaching, and governance of the faithful in his diocese.

If you are a young man interested in becoming a priest, we encourage you to speak with your parish priest as soon as possible by contacting him through email or through the parish office. Or, you can contact the diocesan vocation director. Email him (vocations@archstl.org), or call the Office of Vocations, at 314-792-6460. You can visit the Office of Vocations webpage as well. If you are interested in the permanent diaconate, please contact the archdiocesan Office of the Permanent Diaconate at (314) 792-7431. 

The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is given to those who have encountered a serious illness that is threatening to them. The sacrament gives the supernatural grace first to resist the final temptation to despair our Lord’s mercy, but it also gives healing of the soul of venial sins and sometimes even healing of the body.

The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is available upon request, and it is celebrated communally each first Saturday of the month after the 8:30 am Mass.

If you know of someone who is sick and is unable to leave home or the hospital, please let your priest know, because we make it a priority to visit those who are sick and dying.

If someone is close to death, please call the parish office and use the emergency priest line to inform a priest as quickly as possible, even if it is the middle of the night. Every Catholic should be able, if possible, to receive all of the graces the Church has to offer in the final moments of life.