Sacramental Policies

Holy Spirit, St. Helen, and St Mary’s are welcoming and lively parishes. Because of this, we often receive requests from people who are not registered members of our parish community to celebrate baptisms and weddings here. Sacraments are meant to be celebrated in the faith community in which you are an active member. The celebration of any sacrament presumes the practice of the faith, which, in the case of Baptism, gives the Church every assurance that the child to be baptized will be raised Catholic. It does a disservice to the sacrament when it is celebrated without the serious intention of practicing one’s faith.

Parish registration helps to ensure that individuals are an active part of a faith community, and affords them the opportunity to be a support to that faith community, not only through their financial contributions but also through their active participation. It is because of this broader theological understanding of the sacraments that we only accept requests for baptisms and weddings from registered and active parishioners.

Similarly, adult children of registered parishioners wishing to bring their child back to be baptized or adult children of registered members wishing to be married here are welcome to do so providing they themselves are registered members of a parish wherever they currently live and receive permission from their pastor allowing the baptism or wedding to take place here. Please contact the parish office for further information.