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Sacramental
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SACRAMENTAL LIFE AT ST. ISIDORE

Sacramental Ministry is a ministry of celebration: at those special, pivotal, crucial moments in our lives, the Lord Jesus touches us, intensifies his life within us, and sanctifies the moments.

Sacramental Ministry is rooted in the saving actions of Jesus Christ, and in the ministry of his Body, the Church.

ANOINTING OF THE SICK

This sacrament (which in earlier times was called "the last rites" or "extreme unction") is a consolation and spiritual strengthening of the sick. It can be administered to a person more than once, and is often celebrated at the beginning of a serious illness, when an illness takes a more serious turn, before surgery, or to the elderly who suffer the burden of years. Call the Pastor to arrange for the sacrament. It is part of the parish’s ministry to the shut-in and those served through the parish’s ministry in the two nursing homes in the parish that either a priest assigned by the Diocese to nursing home ministry or the Pastor of St. Isidore anoints these persons once or twice a year.

Infants are welcome to baptism. Parents should call the Executive Secretary at the Parish Office to begin the process, which involves these steps:

1. A member of the Baptismal Team visits the parents in their home, answering questions, explaining the process, and beginning the preparation

2. Parents chose godparents who met the norms which are set forth in the Church's Canon Law.  Parents should not invite persons to serve as godparents until after the norms have been explained to them, and it is certain that the proposed godparent is eligible.

3. Parents and godparents attend a baptismal seminar: the universal law of the Church requires adults who are presenting infants for baptism (and other sacraments as well) or preparing to be sponsors to brush up their understanding and appreciation of that sacrament, as is done in the baptismal seminar.

4. The actual ceremony of baptism. The Parish Office will provide a schedule of dates for baptism and for baptismal seminars.

Children who have not been baptized and who are already in elementary school are invited into the program called the Rite Of Christian Initiation of Children (RCIC). This gives the children an opportunity to take first steps in faith in a warm, supportive, small class. Parents are invited to make an appointment with the Pastor to discuss this program.

Adults who have not been baptized and who are interested in becoming Catholic should make an appointment with the Pastor. The normal process of inquiring about and becoming Catholic is through the program called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).

CHOIRS

Traditional Choir sings at the 5:00 PM Mass on Saturdays. Ms. Judy Zahrndt is director.

Harvesters Choir sings at the 10:30 AM Mass on Sundays. Practices are held in the Church on Wednesday at 6:30 PM. Dr. Greg Holmes and Mrs. Diana Holmes are co-directors.

Funeral Choir sings at all funerals here at St. Isidore. Mrs. Gerri Butcher is director.

Teen Choir sings at the 6:00 PM Mass on Sundays.  Practices are held in the Church on Monday 6:30 - 7:30 PM. Mr. Louis Kelly, Jr. & Mr. David Piper are the adult directors of this choir.

Children's Choir sings at the 10:30 AM Mass on the 1st Saturday of the month, and at the 5:00 PM Mass on the 3rd Sunday of the month. Practices are held in the Ott Center on Tuesday 6:45 - 7:30 PM. Children age 2nd grade through 6th grade are encouraged to join.  The Children's Choir meets during the school year only. Mr. Louis Kelly, Jr. & Mr. David Piper are the adult directors of this choir.

CONFIRMATION

Adults who are in the RCIA process are usually confirmed the night before Easter (at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday).

High school students are prepared for confirmation in a three year program during the students’ 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th grade years. Usually the Bishop of Baton Rouge confirms the 11^th grade students who have completed the program in the late spring at St. Isidore. For more information on the process, call the Executive Secretary at the Parish Office.

Others who have finished high school and yet have not been confirmed should contact the Pastor to discuss the situation.

2^nd grade students are prepared for First Reconciliation (first confession) during the fall semester of that year, and for First Eucharist in the spring, usually in May. Parents are actively involved in this preparation. Call the Executive Secretary at the Parish Office for details.

Note that Diocesan policy requires students in Catholic Schools to prepare for this sacrament (and for Confirmation) in a program at the student’s parish, not at the Catholic school.

Older youth who have not received these sacraments are prepared in the RCIC program. Call the Executive Secretary at the Parish Office for information and details.

Adults who are out of high school and have not been confirmed should speak to the Pastor. Those becoming Catholic in the RCIA process make First Eucharist at the Easter Vigil.

Usually a funeral is celebrated in the church in the context of the Eucharist. Funerals may also be celebrated in funeral homes, but then there can be no Mass.

Call the Parish Office, to arrange for the Pastor or Deacon to conduct funeral services for persons who are parishioners. Please be aware that no funeral arrangements can be made until all three parties to be involved in the funeral have mutually agreed to the arrangements: the family of the deceased, the clergy, and the funeral home.

Persons who feel called to full time ministry in the Church as priests, deacons, or religious brothers and sisters should contact the Pastor. St. Isidore has a Vocations Committee to encourage and promote these vocations.  Information is also available through the Vocations Office, Diocese of Baton Rouge. Presently two former parishioners serve as religious sisters, and two young men of the parish are studying to become priests.

The statewide policy of the Catholic Bishops in Louisiana requires a four month period of preparation before marriage in the Catholic Church. Contact the Pastor to begin the process. It is not possible to call to "reserve" a date for a wedding before meeting with the Pastor.

It is expected that a Catholic marry in the parish to which he or she and his family belong, and not seek to be married in some other Catholic church. It is required that both bride and groom are free to marry, that is, have not been married previously. If either or both is not free to marry in that sense, the Pastor will work with the couple to see what can be done.

The preparation requires several meetings with the Pastor, attendance usually at an Engaged Encounter weekend retreat, and the couple’s own spiritual preparation and commitment.

With rare exceptions, reconciliation is offered Saturdays in Reconciliation Room in the church from 3:30 to 4:30 PM. During both Advent (before Christmas) and Lent (before Easter), there is a Parish Penance Service which a large number of priests attend, hearing individual confessions after the congregation prays together in preparation.  Individuals may also contact the pastor to arrange reconciliation at other times

2^nd grade students are prepared for First Reconciliation (first confession) during the fall semester of that year, and for First Eucharist in the spring, usually in May. Parents are actively involved in this preparation.