Saint Raphael Catholic Church
5444 Hollister Avenue
Santa Barbara, California 93111-2308
(805) 967-5641
Sacraments
As we come to understand the Sacraments, it is important to recognize that they 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 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.
Sacraments are an efficacious sign, that is, they are effectively instituted by Christ and entrusted by Christ to the Church. Sacraments transmit divine life by granting specific graces to the recipient of the Sacrament.
The seven Sacraments of the Church are:
- Baptism
- Eucharist (Communion)
- Confirmation
- Reconciliation (Confession)
- Anointing of the Sick
- Marriage
- Holy Orders
Home | Contact Us | Driving Directions | Links | Mass Schedule | Online Bulletin | Parish Organizations
Religious Education | Sacraments | School | Staff | Youth Ministry
©Saint Raphael Catholic Church ~ This page was last updated: March 10, 2010