It's our means of continuing to
be united with God the Father, son and spirit. And uniting us together as church, as the body of Christ. >> The sacraments of the Catholic Church. >> Every time I received the Eucharist, I'm receiving the body and the blood of Jesus , I have no doubt instituted by Jesus and carried down through the centuries. >> You know, the sacraments are the means of which we receive the outpouring of God's grace . >> They are the physical expression of our love for God and desire to be close to him. >> But it was that it has been 25 years since my last confession, and God's grace and love for us. >> If it's conducive and the will of God, they will be healed. >> A look at the rites of initiation, healing, and service in this special episode of EWTN News in Depth . >> Baptism is like a multifaceted jewel , a cleansing of our spirit with water and a beautiful reflection of God's love and grace. >> Baptism is our birth into the new life of Christ . According to the Vatican's Statistical Yearbook of the Church , there were 1,378,000 people baptized in 2021. About a 1% increase from the year before. Baptism is just one of the many sacraments we get to take part in as Christians. Welcome to a special episode of EWTN News in Depth dedicated to the sacraments of our Catholic Church. There are seven sacraments in our church the sacraments of Initiation, our baptism, Holy Communion , and confirmation. Sacraments of healing, which are confession, also called reconciliation or penance, and anointing of the sick, and service sacraments which include marriage and holy orders. Sacraments have a visible and invisible reality outward signs of water, oil, bread, and wine allow us to physically participate and perceive, but it's in the unseen that God's grace is bestowed on us. A Catholic's entrance into the church and incorporate into the body of Christ is through baptism. There are several parts of the New Testament that discuss the importance of baptism, including John three five, where Jesus says, unless a man is born of water and the spirit , he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Reporter Roselle Regis begins our special program today, described this initiation sacrament baptism. >> The first sacrament signifies once entrance into the church in the name of the father and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit. Like for baby Finian Malcolm, whose parents, Anne and Barry Burke, are happy that he is now officially part of their parish family , entering a community of faith. >> People who who want to do good in this world, coming together and being members of that community is very important to us. >> For the Burkes, there is a long standing tradition in their family . >> The gown is actually was my great great grandmother . It's 131 years old. And so I was baptized in it. My siblings were baptized in it. Many of the family members. And then the Cape is one that my husband was baptized in. So to keep those traditions alive, it's very nice. >> And what do you ask of God's church? For Finney and Malcolm, you baptize for many families. >> What baptism means to them. They're handing on our faith from one generation to the next. >> Father Tom Ferguson has served as pastor for good Shepherd Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia, for about 12 years and has baptized many in his growing parish in Catholicism. Baptism of infants is the most common form. >> One of the reasons we baptize infants is so that they will, from the earliest age possible, be free of that brokenness of original sin and be able to live the fullness of grace from the earliest years of their life . >> Father Tom says, with the pouring of the water on our heads , our sins are cleansed. During the baptismal ceremony, two different oils are used as well . First is the oil of catechumens, which he explains is used to anoint the child on their chest as a symbol of strength in that anointing with the oil of catechumens. >> We pray that the child will become a temple of the Holy Spirit , who will come to dwell within him or her, and that the Holy Spirit, through that anointing, will strengthen that child to resist temptation. You know all the days of their life as they grow and love for God and for their neighbor . >> The other oil used is the oil of chrism. >> After the baptism, the child is anointed on the crown of his or her head with the oil that's called the oil of chrism. In baptism , that same oil of chrism is used with the prayer that just as Jesus was anointed himself , we speak of him, anointed by the Holy Spirit as priest, a prophet, and a king. So this child who's baptized will share in his or her own life in those ministries of priest, prophet, and king, children and adults who wish to join the faith can also receive the sacrament of baptism . >> Some, like Brynn Beckham, who was seven years old when she was baptized. >> I feel really happy that I'm welcomed into God's family and that I get to be a part of a holy like church. >> Brynn is the youngest daughter in the Beckmann family. After experiencing a loss , William and Michelle fell away from the church and questioned their faith. >> In 2014, we got pregnant with our second child, our son William Michael , and unfortunately we lost him on the day he was to be delivered, on the day he was to be born, there was a distancing, a distance . You know, a void was kind of put between us in our faith for a few years. >> Six months after losing their son, William Michael , they found out they were pregnant with Brynn. It took some time, but eventually we knew it was important that we continued with the sacraments for her as well. Now it brings William and Michelle great joy to see Brynn being so involved in church. >> I think we've we've seen her connection to her faith and to God grow. And, you know, I want that to continue and everything she does. >> ADL Xavier , I baptize you meet ADL . >> His name actually means ornament of God, so it just it really means a lot to us that he finds his faith and that we help him, guide him through it . >> The Ellie's parents, Edgardo and Estella Pleitez, both call good Shepherd their home and have been a part of the parish community since they were young, so seeing their son baptized in the same parish is extra special . >> We're just excited that we do have such a , you know, strong community within our family and then also just good Shepherd, to help us guide him . >> Their hope for ADL is to live out his life just like his name suggests. As a child of God bringing him up in the faith. >> And I guess my hope is that if he truly, you know, devotes his life to God and believes in God and stays true to his faith, you know this life doesn't have to be hard. >> Father Tom reminds parents and godparents that baptism is a gift , but it is also a responsibility. >> They make a promise to be not only the first, but the best of teachers to their children in the ways of our faith. >> He sends a message to remind us of all the graces baptism provides, guiding us through life. >> Baptism is that gift that enables us to have the faith, and the hope to recognize that the light shines on in the darkness, as dark as things may be in our world or even in our own personal lives, we're not alone. The love of God is in our hearts, and that's really the gift of God that we receive in the Sacrament of Baptism. >> Russell Reyes EWTN News in Depth. >> Of course, the sacrament of baptism wouldn't be complete without some very important role models. The godparents. It's a gift and a responsibility to take on this title, helping parents in their duties as Christian mothers and fathers, and accompanying the child on the road of Christian life. One of the most important services a godparent can do is to pray for their godchild, whether it be for their spiritual , physical or material needs, but small, inexpensive gifts also can have an impact . >> I remember the things that were given to me, like from second grade. They I've never. You don't throw away religious objects. You know you were kind of given. So they're kind of it's like once they're there you say like put this on your nightstand. They might be on the nightstand the rest of their life. God parents must be firm believers in the Catholic faith. >> According to the Catechism, as they are called to be a witness to the faith following baptism. Holy communion is typically the second sacrament that Catholics receive in their formation . It's a beautifully intimate encounter with Christ in which we receive him into our bodies. Most Catholics make this sacrament at a young age. The worshiper must be in a state of grace in order to receive Catholics are urged to go to confession, often in order to receive the Eucharist and not be in a state of mortal sin. A person conscious of mortal sin who takes part in communion, commits another mortal sin by profaning the body and blood of Christ . And while a parishioner should also confess venial sins , receiving Christ in the Eucharist does forgive venial sins. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church , surveys of Catholics across the country show a divide when they're asked about the Eucharist. Our church teaches that the real Presence, the Body and Blood of Christ, is present when we eat and drink the consecrated host and wine during Holy Communion. Why do some Catholics accept that and some don't? Reporter Mark irons talked to a few parishioners about the importance of the sacrament . >> These parishioners at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Woodbridge , Virginia, believe receiving the Eucharist is essential . >> The most important thing in my life and it starts the day off right with Christ and receiving his body and blood . There's no better way for me. >> The Jesus is my daily bread. >> In the sixth chapter of John's Gospel , Jesus preaches, whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day . For my flesh is true food and my blood is true. Drink Father Brian, assistant pastor at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton , explains it was a hard teaching for many to accept. He said, unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you. >> This was horrifying to the Jews and many who followed him were like, this is too hard, we're out of here . >> But the apostles stayed, and the Catholic Church teaches Jesus remains alive and fully present in this holy bread. >> It keeps me going. I believe it's one of the processes that helped me to stay with my faith. >> But according to a 2019 Pew Research Center survey, 43% of Catholics believe the bread and wine is symbolic and don't know the church teaches the Eucharist is the actual body and blood of Christ. A 2020 EWTN news Realclear Opinion Research poll showed similar figures about half and half. Father Vashistha told us it takes faith to believe in Christ's resurrection, and Catholics need a similar trust in what happens at mass. >> Why can't we believe the calling down of the Holy Spirit upon that bread and wine , to transform that into Jesus's glorified body, blood, soul, and divinity? >> Saint Mother Teresa once said, Jesus has made himself the bread of life to give us life night and day. He is there . If you really want to grow and love, come back to the Eucharist. Come back to that adoration, questions and uncertainty about God's divine presence in the Eucharist can be brought up in prayer. >> So someone already has made up their mind. That's not Jesus . God's not going to violate their free will . But it's an open, humble, inquisitive heart. It's okay to ask God questions, but to do with a quisitive heart, not a doubtful heart. >> Father Vashishta says , if someone has the gift of faith, they should pass it on and invite others to mass lay Catholics. We spoke with say it's also about teaching the next generation. I think it's really educating our young people in the spirituality and the belief of the Eucharist being the body and blood of Jesus. Ted Zagrobelny, a parishioner at Elizabeth Ann Seton, believes everyone is on an individual faith journey . His has brought him to the Eucharist. >> Just thinking about it, you know Jesus loved us. But then he said, I'm not going to leave you. I'm going to be with you forever. And he is. And he's there in the true presence and the body and blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist. And it just kind of brings, you know , a little chill to my spine. >> Mark Irons, EWTN news in Depth with that lack of belief in the real Presence in the Eucharist, bishops in the United States launched a multi year Eucharistic Revival . >> All of this means that our Eucharistic revival must be at one and the same time, both personal and communal . >> The revival launched on the Feast of Corpus Christi in 2022. It began with a year of planning events on the diocesan level, followed by a parish year of revival in 2023, which focused on fostering Eucharistic devotion right down to the pews. This includes adoration, Eucharistic processions and more. In May of 2024, National pilgrimages step off from four different parts of the country, each route is named after a patron saint and all roads lead to the summit of the revival. The National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. >> There are going to be many great speakers in the evenings and in events that are going to be held in Lucas Oil Stadium. They're going to be masses every day, and including a big closing mass in Lucas Oil , there's going to be Eucharistic Eucharistic adoration throughout the duration of the Congress. I think the major thing that that we can expect from the Congress is that by coming together, the Lord is going to do something great. Essentially, we're giving the Lord an opportunity for his grace to come. We're assembling together in prayer and we're saying, all right, Jesus, here we are. We're turning to you. And we're ready for the gifts that you're going to bestow on us so that we can renew the church in the United States, the national Eucharistic Congress will be held from July 17th to the 21st of 2024. >> Everyone is invited. Visit Eucharistic Congress org for more information on tickets . As the patron of the first year of the National Eucharistic Revival was blessed, Carlo Acutis, the 15 year old is the first of the millennial generation to be beatified by the Catholic Church. He is renowned for his deep devotion to the Eucharist. As a young teenager, he used his knowledge of technology to document Eucharistic miracles and approved Marian apparitions around the world. The Italian teen's mother, Antonia Salsano Acutis, shared stories of her son with me. >> Every hymn was for Carlo, the center of the Eucharist and the. So Carlo did the First Holy Communion when he was seven years old, and in that occasion he brought to be always united with God. This is my life program, and he started to go to mass each day to do a holistic adoration. Each day the daily prayer, prayer of the Rosary, and also the Bible. >> You can watch the entire interview with Mrs. Acutis on EWTN News In Depth Facebook page and on the EWTN YouTube page . Be sure to tune in to all of EWTN news for all of your updates on the revival and the Congress . And up next, the third Sacrament of Initiation and its biblical roots. It was a deeply personal decision, but that I feel very blessed to have been able to do, at and I hope that others make the same choice going forward. >> Exchanging vows twice. >> How couples are bringing civil marriages or ones performed outside the Catholic Church into God's grace through a sacramental marriage , we anoint the head and we also anoint the hands. >> Oil, prayer and the laying of hands. How anointing of the sick brings peace, not only to the person receiving the sacrament, but also to their families .
>> Commits away from me to continue to have that opportunity to connect with the people of God, especially the young people here in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. So in fact, it's so important for me to have that connection that I meet with the young people an hour before the liturgy itself, before the actual mass, so that I can have that connection with them as their bishop, as the chief shepherd of the diocese, connecting with his flock through the sacrament of confirmation . >> The ordinary minister of the Sacrament of Confirmation is a bishop, although they can give special permission for a priest to confer the sacrament, a sacramental of chrism oil is used to anoint the forehead with the sign of the cross, sealing the person with the gift of the Holy Spirit and receiving them into the church . This sacrament strengthens the person to fight temptation and spread the gospel. Confirmation was practiced in the earliest days of the church in Scripture Acts chapter eight. Starting at verse 14, the apostles Peter and John prayed over those who had been baptized and laid hands on them so they could receive the Holy Spirit. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, or Rcia for millions of Americans have entered the Catholic Church through this program, allowing adults to convert to the faith after the age of infant baptism. Reporter Rossell Rageous has the story of two women who felt the Holy Spirit leading them toward Rcia . >> When Jessica born was at her lowest, she felt lost and didn't know who to turn to. I I was going through a really hard time right towards the end of nursing school. >> Covid was like, you know, at its worst at and I was sort of just thinking more about, the kind of things that my family relied on doing. >> Coming from a family of non-practicing Catholics, she has always yearned for some kind of spiritual connection. >> One morning I woke up. I had worked a night shift , and I woke up and I just my first thought was, I'm going to Ash Wednesday mass. I walked in the doors and it was beautiful , and I left feeling like like it was something that I wanted to do. >> Many adults, like Jessica entering the Catholic Church or those just considering joining, follow a course known as the Rcia or the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. >> Rcia is a faith journey for adults who desire to come into full communion with a Catholic church. >> It's a process of conversion and growing a relationship with God and learning how to be a disciple. There are four stages in Rcia, each concluding with a ceremony known as a rite. Rcia normally takes about nine months, but varies from person to person . First is the pre catechumenate stage where people are still exploring the faith after the rite of acceptance . Next is a catechumenate stage. This is the time of learning the basic catechesis, prayer and the teachings of the church leading up to the rite of election . Third is the stage of purification and enlightenment , which is the period before receiving the Easter sacraments of initiation into the church. Baptism, confirmation and Holy Eucharist. This period consists of intense spiritual reflection and prayer. Lastly the stage of Mystagogy, which is a continued reflection on the sacraments one has received and finding a place in the church community. Maria Thorson, director of Rcia at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond , Virginia, says members form a lasting spiritual bond during weekly sessions in that small faith community of Rcia, members and their sponsors and the team , they help each other to sort of delve deeper into their relationship with God . After getting to know Jessica, Maria then matched her with her sponsor, Holly Aldridge as a mother of two, Holly says being a sponsor lets her relive the joy she felt baptizing her son's . >> It's just so special all to hear people's stories . Why? Why are they doing this? Why are they choosing to do this as an adult and to just be a part of that and witness and help walk along with them is really been a blessing for me. >> At the culmination of the Rcia , for those who wish to become Catholic are received into the church every year at the Easter Vigil Mass . >> Jessica, I baptize you for me personally, it's a great source of pride to see candidates and catechumens receive their sacraments because I know that they've been preparing and I've had the chance to meet with them and listen to them and assist them in some way on their journeys, like Jessica, Angela Mcglowan also went through the Rcia process. >> You may recognize her as a commentator on another network . Angela, who was a Protestant growing up, started her spiritual journey by helping out a colleague who was in a dark place. >> A friend was in trouble and needed to go back to his faith. I'll fall away Irish Catholic. So the Holy Spirit quickened me and said , Angela, you need to get him back to his church and you need to go with him. So we both ended up attending the Church of Immaculate Conception. >> This is where she met Father Charles Gallagher, who became her spiritual guide and helped her with faith formation. Angela continued attending mass with her colleague Jack keen . To her surprise, her faith journey transformed into a love story. She fell in love with both the Catholic Church and her friend, so it was very special to me . >> That was like the culmination of I married into the faith. I became a part of the faith, and I converted on the day that I became a wife . So it was a beautiful becoming Catholic was like a beautiful love story to me. >> Father Gallagher sends a message to those who show interest in the Catholic Church . >> My message to them is that the Catholic Church is much bigger from the inside than it is from the outside , that when they become Catholic and they they enter in and they see how big the church is, how beautiful our traditions are, how diverse. You know, our worship is in all the different cultures and all of our different saints and the spirituality of the church that they would find a true spiritual home. >> Russell Reyes, EWTN News in Depth Rcia could soon be called Ocea, which stands for the Order of Christian Initiation for adults. >> The move by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops was made to reflect more of the church's original Latin roots. It's still pending final approval from the Vatican . >> And I said, bless me, father, I've sinned . It has been 25 years since my last confession, but before I could finish the word confession, this priest goes, Mamma mia! >> Next, returning to the confessional, a look at the grace and renewal it provides to the walk of the Christian life and fostering the faith of young Catholics. >> The successful program that is celebrating ten years of faith formation . >> Know well meaning parents were like his child . Had to be lost. So the church is so serious with this anointing of the sick. >> Making sure his sheep are not lost. The sacrament of anointing of the sick is a beautiful way to draw closer or return to Jesus . It's one of two healing sacraments , the other being reconciliation. But there are a lot of misconceptions about anointing of the sick that have even led Catholics to turn priests away. Those misconceptions can lead to the faithful missing out on God's grace . >> You see them crying this is an elderly man shedding tears. >> It used to be called last rites. During my grandmother's time, anytime a person called the father. Oh fathers call me last rites. Everyone is crying and screaming. >> Fear and sadness. This is how priests today can be greeted when they come to confer the anointing of the sick, and always seem to, evoke death as on its doorways . >> I did not come to kill you . I come to pray that God will heal you. >> Formerly known as Extreme Unction or the Last Rites, many Catholics tend to think it's done only on their deathbed. >> The anointing of the sick is both for the body and for the soul. >> But it's not just for those suffering from terminal illness. >> It could be for a person who is spiritually sick, a person who is mentally sick, and a person who is having other physical ailments. >> For many, they received the sacrament prior to a serious operation. >> We have prayer for those who are going for surgery. We also have prayer for a child and for a young person, and the prayers of the sacrament change depending on the need of each person. >> When you're talking to people who are getting anointing , there's also dialog. Don't just rush in and start doing it . >> Father Patrick Morrison and Father Raymond provide this healing sacrament nearly every day, and they hope to heal the whole person, body and soul . >> We anoint 3 or 4 people, at least on my shift. >> I have said this prayer for more than 25 years. >> Armed with oil, blessed by a bishop during the Chrism Mass celebrated on Thursday of Holy Week, a purple stole and a small prayer book. >> This is the pastoral care of the sick. >> They assess the needs of the person and begin the rite of anointing, typically with a common sacramental. >> Normally during the sacrament, you greeting hopefully the whole family there. When you're anointing and you sprinkle them with holy water and depending on the circumstances, other sacraments can also be included. I would normally always ask them if they would like to go to confession first. >> There are times when a patient can't speak or is comatose when they cannot talk. >> You do the absolution. >> Three distinct parts of anointing of the sick include the prayer of faith, the laying of hands, and the anointing with oil. Anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. >> The prayer of faith will save the sick persons, and the Lord will raise them up if they have committed any sins , their sins will be forgiven. >> You anoint the forehead and the palms. >> A wound may also be anointed, or any open area of skin should the forehead and hands not be accessible and Holy Eucharist can also then be given if the person is capable . >> All the kind of oil that we use in a church is olive oil. So olive oil is medicinal oil. >> Olive oil has been used on kings and prophets for centuries. It's found in both the Old and New Testament . >> It's Jesus, as we know in acts 1038. He went out anointing and saving people and healing them. And he's also given that, impetus to be able for us to do the same. >> The sacrament can bring both physical and spiritual healing to heal the body , if it is the will of God. >> And the soul. >> I saw people who are at peace in this process. I've saw many healings. It's been wonderful . >> But there are many other fruits. As with all sacraments , as it unites the sick person to the passion of Christ, it's a kind of fulfillment . >> It's a kind of fulfillment. >> The hearts and minds of the families are also impacted. Many people, the family and the patient. >> They feel joy , especially if the person is gravely ill . >> She had stage four pancreatic cancer . My wife passed away fairly quickly. She was diagnosed in January . In the middle of May. She had already passed away. >> Raymond Lepeska says he was glad he called for the sacrament in time, and when I knew that her time of passage was near , I contacted the church that could you please send a peace out to give her the last rites? >> After 50 years of marriage ? His wife is. >> Italia's life was coming to an end , probably more in love with her now than she was when she was still alive . >> She's always on my mind. >> She received anointing just days before her last breath and she was buried in a wedding dress as as per her request 50 years earlier, Raymond wanted to make sure he did everything he could for his wife's final journey. >> It was a beautiful right to see her . My beautiful wife blessed and prepared for final transition and he urges all Catholics to do the same. One never knows when there will be the final time until it's beyond the final time. >> And so does the church. We want to thank Raymond for sharing his emotional story with us now. While the sacrament of reconciliation or confession is heard during anointing of the sick, it's also a sacrament. We're asked to participate in at least once a month. A young adult program in Arlington, Virginia provides an opportunity for young adult Catholics to more easily incorporate confession into their lives. The program, called P3 , which stands for prayer, penance, and Pub at Saint Charles Borromeo Parish, is celebrating ten years every Wednesday. The parish doors are open for anyone who wants to adore the Most Blessed Sacrament , while also offering confession, followed by a social hour with drinks . >> In the Sacrament of Penance. The Lord Jesus welcomes the penitent with open arms. He forgives their sins and he forgets them, and they start a new life with his love, with his grace. In their hearts. It's really that simple, and that's why it's so beautiful. >> Pastor of the parish, Father Planty, explains that the forgiveness of sins involves four parts the first, contrition , having heartfelt sorrow and detestation for sins . >> The second confession confessing sins to the Lord through a priest. The third absolution of the sins through prayer, and lastly the penance the priest and poses in reparation of the sins. >> The second repentance is the great saccharin of conversion sin, and we seek throughout our lives to be more and more converted. It doesn't matter what the sin is, how many times the sin has been forgiven, the Lord forgives and forgets and new life begins with his grace of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, confession is one many find intimidating. >> Some parishioners avoid going. For years. Mark Irons spoke with several Catholics on their journey to the confessional and the grace they say they received . >> It had been a quarter of a century since Charles Davidson went to confession. >> What do you say? After 25 years, he was baptized in the Catholic Church. >> But fell away from the faith. Eventually Davidson returned and marked the occasion by making a confession during a work trip in Paris, he stopped at the Cathedral of Notre Dame. He felt intimidated , but knew he should go. >> I felt the love of Jesus pouring out onto me. There was never a moment that that intimidation was founded. >> Confession isn't just for those who have been away for years, Father Daniel G in the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, says everyone is in need of the grace offered through the sacrament. >> If you want to be perfect as God the Father is perfect, you need your soul to be perfectly cleansed. And in order to keep your soul cleansed, you need the sacramental grace of confession . >> At Saint Rita's parish, confessions are heard every day on a very human level. >> If something is rarely available, I'm going to naturally think it's probably not that important. If something is available, all the time and is emphasized in the preaching and in the teaching and in the practice, then I'm going to consider it as something that is important. >> The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, those who approach the sacrament of penance obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against him , and are at the same time reconciled with the church, which they have wounded by their sins, in which by charity, by example , and by prayer labors for their conversion. >> I think the sacrament of confession is such a great place of renewal , where I go to kind of find peace and to begin again every time I fall down. >> That wasn't always how Krista Kyle felt about confession . A graduate student, Kyle says there was a time when she avoided it for over a year. During that time, this is how she felt a lot of just defeat. >> You know , thinking I have fallen so many times, what's the kind of like that voice of what's the point in trying, like, I'm just going to fall again? >> Father Guy says, having those thoughts or any other reservations shouldn't prevent seeking forgiveness , even if just walking into the confessional may seem challenging , no reason for fear whatsoever. He's reminding Catholics everything said is confidential and confessing behind a screen is an option. >> And we can't see you and we don't want to see you, and we don't care who you are at all. We just want to forgive your sins. >> Teresa Gallagher, a wife and mother of four kids, has made the sacrament of penance a key part of her own spiritual life. She tries to go every couple of weeks. >> I just feel like you're more aware of where you are in your Christian walk. You know, your your failures, your sins. >> So I say to people, it's been six months. I say, you know what? Come back in six weeks. Come back in four weeks, and work that number back and just watch what happens to your soul. >> Everyone we spoke with shared how they felt upon leaving the confessional. >> There's still often times when I go to confessional, I walk out and I just feel the joy of being given that fresh start, that chance to start anew. >> It will inevitably advance your relationship with Christ. >> There's no substitute for the actual grace and the sacrament of confession. >> Mark Irons EWTN News in Depth . >> Catholics are encouraged to prepare for confession with an examination of conscience, a good starting point for that is to look at the Ten Commandments and see if you have violated any of them. You can write your questions down and bring it into the confessional. If you are unsure, ask the Holy Spirit for help in making your examination , and you can also ask the priest to help guide you through the process . >> Don't just show up for a blessing. Prepare to receive a sacrament. Receive the sacrament and live out that grace. >> Receiving God's blessing on your marriage. How couples can strengthen their unions through the process of con validation, we explain . Plus what experts say Catholics need to consider before they walk down the aisle. The unique program that prepares couples to exchange vows . Marriage is a lifelong sacrament. The church regards this sacrament as signifying the union of Jesus Christ and the church, and allows couples to manifest fruitfulness of offspring, hospitality , and of sacrifice. Before Catholic couples walked down the aisle, they're encouraged to take pre-cana classes to prepare for the sacrament they're about to receive . The name is derived from John chapter two, verses one through 12. The wedding feast at Cana in Galilee, where Jesus performed his first public miracle, the turning of water into wine. Approaches to Pre-cana vary among dioceses and parishes, often six month sessions are led by a priest or deacon at time of immediate preparation , right before the wedding day. >> Is critical because in many situations , that's the first time any serious marriage preparation is being done. You know, ideally, couples would have received much of this formation in their homes and their families growing up . But the reality is almost half of engaged couples today are coming from homes where their parents were never married or their parents were divorced. >> Mary Rose Barrett, co-founder of the organization Witness to Love, which assists couples preparing for marriage or marriage renewal. The program includes support from a married Catholic couple , so we invite couples to choose a couple whose marriage they admire to walk with them and , our effort is forming the two couples to journey together and often providing formation for the mentor couples that they never had as they were preparing for marriage. >> And so it's a two for one evangelization and formation effort . >> Mary Rose Barrett says both couples learn to use tools to work through their problems and hold those tough conversations . Some couples avoid many Catholic resources, suggest some must have conversations before a couple exchanges vows, including discussions on faith , finances, children, conflict resolution skills , career relationship, beliefs and commitment . And for those already married, one archdiocese in Virginia has launched an initiative to help couples deepen their marriage commitment through Christ. Roselle Reyes explains. >> Divine love to will the good of another . >> Our number one rule was to lead each other to heaven , and that's the best good I can think of in the Catholic Church. >> Marriage is much more than a lifelong commitment of faithful love. >> Marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman who give themselves to each other and to God. >> Father Edward Hathaway has served as the rector of the Basilica of Saint Mary in Alexand Maria, Virginia since 2015. One of his goals has been to create a program to strengthen marriages in his parish. >> As a pastor, it's of great interest for me and responsibility for me to help those marriages be strong and vibrant and joyful places where children are raised and receive catechesis in the faith. >> This comes at a time when sacramental marriages have declined 70% in the US alone. Since 1969, even as the number of Catholics in the country has grown significantly. Just last year, Pope Francis called for a lengthier and more effective catechesis in preparation for marriage . The Holy Father said the church must walk closely with couples toward marriage. As many couples he noted, only receive superficial preparation before their wedding. Titled Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life, the 97 page document is designed to help young people understand the sacraments, prepare engaged couples for marriage, and support newlyweds in the first years of their married life. Father Hathaway explains that holy marriage takes a lot of sacrifice , patience, self-reflection, and humility . >> With any vocation you need to work at, it doesn't just happen. Great marriage. If you can pray out loud together , maybe kneeling together before you go to bed at night, praying the family rosary. These are ways in which we acknowledge the supernatural and open our hearts to grace. >> Last year in the fall, the Basilica of Saint Mary introduced Date Night at the Basilica. The apostolate utilizes a program called Ten Great Dates, which helps spark intimacy, romance, and fruitful conversations between married and engaged couples as they spend time together on a date. >> Each state has a theme starts with building a priority marriage . Making your marriage a priority, learning to talk , managing your problems, your issues as conflict. >> Anger management , encouraging one another. Other great date topics include balancing your role as partner and parent, having an intentional marriage , and deepening your intimacy. >> The book and video course was developed by David and Claudia ARP . For decades, the duo has been offering resources and training to help couples build better marriages and families. Date night at the Basilica starts off with a social gathering, followed by a discussion about one of the ten Great Dates topics. Then the married couples are off to go on their dates. >> We thought it would be a good opportunity to carve some time out for ourselves as a married couple, but then to also meet other couples in the parish and kind of get encouraged by them and share experiences as a married couple . >> Raymond and Rebecca Moore have been married for eight years now. By participating in date night at the Basilica and meeting other married couples , they say their marriage has brought them closer to their faith . >> Pray for your spouse and pray with your spouse , that's kind of drawing back to the strength of God, and asking him for help for your spouse and for yourself. >> It enriches our lives. But we've gotten to meet a lot of wonderful people along the way as well. >> One of the other couples participating, Leah and Chase Hatton, also believe faith is what binds them together . >> I'd say faith is crucial, so apart from our Covid wedding, my wife suffered with three miscarriages, that were really hard, and our faith really was able to help us navigate that grief in a healthy way. >> Nine months ago, Leah and Chase welcomed baby Annie as New parents. Date night at the Basilica is just what they needed to re-energize their marriage. >> After having Annie , it was so nice that they offered childcare and just it's so hard. Especially we're not from here and our family isn't here. They've really helped us, through this period of a lot of change , be able to pour into our marriage and our family now too, because they do so many great things. >> And Somerset is one of the coordinators for date night at the Basilica. Enjoy witnessing couples rekindle their love for one another at each session. >> It's also so great to watch the couples on their way out the door to their dates. >> You know, kind of the twinkle in the eye, the feeling of anticipation of a great night and just also feeling that feeling of being happy and in love. I think that we all have when we first start dating comes back and you get to see that, and that's just wonderful. And I hope that they'll know that they have a community that supports them in their church, in their parish and all the other Catholic married couples they know. >> Russell Ridge's EWTN News In Depth, the sacramental element of marriage is missing for many Catholics who were married outside the church or in a civil service. >> A wedding officiated by the state or in another faith outside of the Catholic Church is not recognized as a sacramental marriage by the Catholic Church. A desire to have their marriage blessed by God and more grounded in faith has led many to invalidate their marriages. Validation simply means having your marriage officially recognized by the Catholic Church. For married couples who have converted to Catholicism , or lapsed Catholics coming back to the church , it's a beautiful way to both strengthen their faith and commitment to each other, to know that this is sanctified before the Lord is something that was really special to me in my heart, and I feel like it sets a good example for my children, and I hope that it's something that we can serve as an inspiration for other families that may be considering this journey, I feel like it almost kind of completes the circle for both of us. >> For a Catholic, it's very important that you're marriage be recognized in the church because marriage is a sacred institution instituted by God himself . And when a Catholic does, is married outside of the church, that special grace that comes from God, you know, when Mary, when your marriage is, is valid , it's not there a con validation ceremony is the same as a traditional wedding ceremony , but typically a little more low key. >> If you're looking to can validate your marriage, you should speak to your pastor for guidance on the process . Washington Elizabeth Suncity the Lord be with you. The spiritual mothers and fathers of the Catholic Church, the sacrament of Holy orders, the discernment, the vows, and the life of fulfilling their promise. A discussion when we return. >> So that it may become for us the body and blood of your most beloved son, our Lord Jesus Christ. >> The offering of the Eucharist. The greatest gift our Savior gave us. But transubstantiation can only happen with the help of priests, priests . Vocations in the United States are down by 42, according to the center for Applied Research in the apostolate, or Cada . >> After a short period of discernment with the sisters, I was decided to give my entire life to God. >> Kara also reflects that women religious numbers have also been in a downward spiral, down 75% in the United States since 1965. The need for vocations is great, especially in the light of growing secularism . I spoke with Father Michael Romano, coordinator of admissions at the Pontifical North American College, about the sacrament of Holy Orders. Take a look. Father Michael Romano, thank you so much for joining us. Holy orders , one of the sacraments at the service of communion alongside marriage. It confuses many people. How would you explain in this sacrament service and communion are certainly two great words to describe the sacrament of Holy Orders. >> Priesthood is definitely intended to be a vocation of service. A call to service, serving God and then serving his people and in serving his people. It's one way just to lead them closer into into communion with the Lord. I oftentimes like to think of the priests using the image of the friend of the bridegroom, John the Baptist, sort of figured where our our role is to draw people in, but then not to ourselves , really, that we're we're pushing people towards the Lord, pointing him out as John the Baptist said, he must increase. I must decrease, and that needs to be our role, that we be men of prayer, and that through our through our teaching, our preaching , the celebration of the sacraments, and then just all of the different ways that we can serve people, hopefully we draw them closer to the Lord and then journey with them and accompany them to together. As we work, we walk together on the way to eternal life, to heaven with the Lord. >> I love that you said it really is a sacrament of service. Of these seven sacraments, marriage and Holy orders are not necessarily for everyone. How are they different from the other five? The sacraments of initiation and healing . >> I do think that for marriage and for holy orders, both of them have to do with God's plan in an individual person's life. With marriage , God's plan that there's one person in his or her life that they're intended to give themselves to, and that the two of them help each other on their journey to heaven. That their only desire is for the good of the other person, and then for priesthood, that God's got a particular plan for certain men to give themselves in service that way, whereas hopefully God's desire is that everyone be baptized, everyone celebrate those other sacraments that that we need the sacraments of initiation to draw us into the life of the church, draw us into communion with him as well as the two sacraments of healing , which we all need at different times in our lives, where these are sacraments, we receive one time, and that they're both called to as part of God's plan to draw us closer to him and the marriage to one person in particular. And for priests , the communities that they serve, their marriage to the church. >> Right? Well, the seminary has prepared thousands of men for a religious vocation. As a priest, how do you prepare someone for that kind of life? What's the most important part of that formation? >> That's great. The most important part, I would say it has to be in the formation relationship that it's an environment of trust and openness on both parts, the part of the seminarian and then the part of the priest who's who's working with the seminarian in his formation. That they can really accomplish, that. The priest can accompany him as the man makes himself known to the church and as the man comes to know himself through the years of seminary . Formation. Formation is based in four different areas, so there's human formation, which is the man that people encounter at first. And all of us enter the seminary needing to have certain bad habits, refined or different things that we can do so that we're more approachable to people when they encounter us. Spiritual formation would be the second dimension of preparation for the priesthood the man's prayer life, his relationship with the Lord , opening himself about that as he tries to grow in virtue . Intellectual formation would be his academic life , learning about the teachings of the church so that he can preach those and help people to come to understand and believe them more fully. And then finally, the Apostolic or pastoral dimension of formation, which is kind of the end point that the man is sent out to work in a parish or other ministries , and he practices some of that during his years of seminary , learning how to be an effective minister to God's people. But him being able to discuss that in an environment of openness and trust allows him to realize that the church has his best interest and is helping him to become the best man that he can be. As he prepares himself for ordination. >> That's beautiful. That's a beautiful preparation. Well, for the viewers that have never been to an ordination and seen seminarians face down on the floor as they take their vows, why is there a physical component to this spiritual commitment ? >> Well, first, if you have not been to an ordination, you really should try to get to one. It's such a unique experience that the Catholic Church and her sacraments , using symbols and gestures and postures and , you know, in just unique ways that you would never see before that element of prostration is certainly one that sticks out in people's minds . And I think the part of the reason that a man lays prostrate on the floor is that it's a gesture of humility and an acknowledgment that really all he can offer is himself. When we enter the seminary, we have an idealized version of who we will become at the end . And I think the way we arrive at true freedom to be ordained is when we realize that all they can offer really is myself, who I am, not an idealized version of me. And so instead of coming with clenched fists into ordination, it's really with empty hands and laying on the floor. And as the man is laying prostrate on the floor, listening to the people of God chant the litany of the saints , so them offering their prayers, knowing that the people are praying for him as well as the saints interceding for him as he prepares to offer his life and service to the church. >> Well, you said it right. People really should be going out in droves to witness that wonderful moment of deep humility and abandonment to the Lord . What do you want prospective prospective vocations to know about this sacrament? We have a crisis. Some people say, in vocations where we don't have as many priests as we wish we did. What do you wish people knew about this , about holy orders? >> I wish that people that feel, you know, that young men that feel potentially called to the priesthood would not be afraid. First and foremost, I think there's that just initial sense of the unknown. And so a fear of entering into that , certainly a fear of unworthiness . But then because the priesthood is not always been looked at in the best light due to the sins of priests, that have, you know, that have been so public over the past 20 years or so. There's there can be a fear in that, too. And yet the priesthood, when lived well, is a is a holy life is a happy life is a healthy life. And it's such a rewarding way to give of yourself to the Lord and His church. And we have to always believe that if we follow God's plan, he knows what is best for us. And so trusting in that talking to people that we that we can confide in and that we respect their opinions going forward, hopefully we can remove some of that fear, maybe some of that stigma and then just to try to explore it in a sense of openness and a sense of, you know, honestly seeking and trusting in God's plan. >> Absolutely. And the phrase that's repeated so many times in the Bible, be not afraid. Thank you so much. Thank you . To find out more on the life of a priest you can visit Diocesan priests.com. If you're seeking a life as a parish priest, and you can also visit religious brotherhood.com for information on male religious communities . And if you're a woman considering entering into consecrated life in the church, visit the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious at Cmswr dot org. You'll find dozens of resources as well as links to the different communities throughout the U.S. that does it. For this special report focusing on the Catholic sacraments. Thanks for joining us for EWTN news in Depth. Tune in next week for more stories. Important to your Catholic faith. See you then
