All Sacraments are a celebration of the Whole Christ: Head and members, for all Sacraments are public worship (Liturgy) as all the Rituals and the documents of Vatican II state.     As such, no Sacrament is merely a private matter; rather, Sacraments are a celebration by the whole community even when administered when no one else is around.    In the celebration of Sacraments, therefore, this should be kept in mind.      Sacraments should, therefore, be celebrated with as many of the local community participating and in the local parish church of the persons receiving the Sacraments.     In cases of children, Sacraments should normally be celebrated in the parish church of the parents.

Sacraments are thus "community celebrations".    In a Sacrament Celebration, the local faith community calls its members to a deeper commitment and service to the Lord.    Sacrament Celebrations, therefore, should take place during the Sunday Eucharist if at all possible, to allow as many of the parish community as possible to participate in them.

Regarding the Sacrament of Baptism, Baptism should be administered during the Easter Season or on Sundays which weekly commemorates the Lord's Resurrection, and preferably during the Sunday Eucharist, if at all possible.    Baptism should not be administered during the Season of Lent, except in emergency.    Baptism "calls one into" the faith community and "makes one" a member of the whole faith community, the Church, the Body of Christ.   This should be exemplified by the active participation of the local faith community, welcoming and receiving the newest member(s).     Preferably, also, this Sacrament should be received in the local parish where the family lives and works, and where the family weekly celebrates the Sunday Eucharist.     A baby should be baptized within the first weeks after birth.    However, if there is an absence of a well-founded hope that the child will be brought-up in the practice of the faith, Baptism is to be delayed till such a hope can be ascertained, as seen by the practice of the faith by one of the parents.     

Regarding Confirmation, Confirmation too is a celebration of the local parish faith family.     It is for this reason that Confirmation preparation does not take place in any  Catholic high school, but rather is only done at the local parish level.     Candidates for Confirmation should be prepared for, and should receive this Sacrament, in their home parish community where they worship and live-out their faith commitment.    That same local community should be invited to participate in the rites leading up to the celebration of this Sacrament.    In addition, the local faith community should be praying for the candidates who are preparing to be confirmed.    The local community should also be apprised of the Confirmation preparation activities that the candidates are undertaking:    their community service projects, their retreats and days of prayer, their attendance at the Archdiocesan Youth Day, etc.

Regarding First Penance, as with Baptism and Confirmation, First Penance too should be celebrated with the local parish faith community.    Again, this is not a school or special group activity, but a local parish community celebration.    The entire parish should be invited to the First Penance celebration, and sufficient confessors should be arranged so that all wishing to receive this Sacrament --- parents, family members and parishioners --- may be able to do so within a reasonable time schedule.     

Regarding First Eucharist, First Eucharist too should be celebrated with the local parish faith community, and during the Sunday Eucharist.    Sufficient Sunday Eucharist celebrations should be arranged so that the children and their parents may take a prominent part in the Sunday Eucharist, without causing undue delay for the community of faith.     And, like the other Sacraments, this celebration is not a school or special group celebration, but rather is a celebration of the local parish faith community.   

Regarding Parents and the Sacraments, since parents are the primary educators of their children, they should play a significant role in the preparation and celebration of all the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and First Eucharist, and also First Penance. All parents should be actively involved in preparing their children for these Sacraments.    Thus, all parishes must have pre-Sacrament programs to help parents understand, and fulfill, their responsibilities as the primary educators of their children in the ways of the faith.     

Regarding Parishes and Parents, parishes should schedule Parent Meetings and Parent Sacrament Workshops at an hour convenient to parents in their particular faith community.    With a growing number of single parent households and of parishioners speaking languages other than English, this would necessitate a parish community scheduling more than one workshop for "time" and "language" convenience.     "Cultural practices" should also be kept in mind in planning Sacrament Liturgies, provided such practices do not detract from the communal nature of the celebration.

In all these Sacrament Celebrations, the parents preferably should bring their child to receive the Sacrament.     Candidates for Baptism, Penance, First Eucharist and Confirmation should receive these Sacraments in their home parishes, where they will regularly celebrate these Sacraments with their families.   And also at those Sunday Eucharists which they normally attend week after week.    Again the local faith community should be invited to participate in praying for the candidates who are preparing to celebrate First Penance and First Eucharist.    The local parish faith community should also be apprised of the activities that the candidates are undertaking:    their days of special activities and retreats, and also any special days of prayer, etc.

Regarding the Sacrament of Matrimony, marriages too should be celebrated in the local parish community of the bride or groom where the bride or groom currently lives and worships, and by the local assigned clergy (priest or deacon).    Marriages may take place at other churches, including home parishes where the parties grew-up, with the permission of both parties' current pastors and also with the permission of the local pastor of the place where the marriage will take place.     When a priest or deacon not assigned to the parish of the place is to preside, formal written delegation from the pastor of the place of the wedding must be obtained for validity of the Sacrament.    Also, two witnesses are necessary for validity.    Each diocese often has special regulations regarding marriages, and these must be followed, as must any civil laws which apply.     Generally marriages must be scheduled at least six (6) months in advance.     Newly issued copies of Baptismal Certificates are required: dated within six (6) months of the date of the wedding.    Also, attendance at Pre-Marriage seminars or preparation programs are also required.

If either party has been married before in anyway whatsoever, no wedding date can be set till the former marriage has been reviewed by the local Bishop's Canonical Affairs Office or Tribunal and a declaration of freedom given.     This process usually involves some time, and a favorable answer cannot be presumed if the matter is to be Formally Adjudicated.

Regarding the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, this Sacrament should be sought whenever anyone who is six years of age or older becomes seriously ill.     This Sacrament's primary purpose has never been determined:   whether it is to seek God's healing of body and soul, or whether it is to prepare to enter our Heavenly Home.     Thus, anyone who has any chronic illness or serious illness, or who is just aging and feeling old, should receive this Sacrament.     This Sacrament should also be received by any who are emotionally ill or stressed out.