OUR VIEW OF THE SACRAMENTS

                                              THE Order's is Sacramental

Sacraments are "outward signs of inward grace."  This general list along with basic descriptions is provided to give a better idea of the kinds of services or rituals that one might encounter within our communities, as well as their basic purposes.

                                                                      Baptism

Baptism is the sacrament by which a person is solemnly admitted to membership in the church universal and grafted into the mystical body of Christ.

                                                                  Confirmation

Confirmation, administered in the Celtic tradition in conjunction with baptism, is the sacrament or sacramental rite by which the confirmed receives spiritual strength for the life of faith to which the person is committing through the invocation of the Holy Spirit and laying on of hands of the celebrant.

                                                                  Eucharist

Eucharist, meaning "Thanksgiving," is the sacrament wherein bread and wine are consecrated and thereby linked, or polarized, on the life of Christ.  They become to us outposts of Christ's life and consciousness, thus enabling the person receiving them to become a channel of Christ's life and blessing.

                                                       Confession and Absolution

The sacrament or sacramental rite by which there is a restoration of the inner harmony of nature which has been disturbed by wrongdoing, a bringing of a person once more into tune with the divine power which flows through us all and of which we are to be true expressions.  Confession may be performed privately or in a general confession in the context of a public liturgy.

                                                                    Anointing

The sacrament or sacramental rite by which the body is anointed with holy oils for the spiritual strengthening of the person, as well as for healing of the physical body.

                                                                   Marriage

The sacrament or sacramental rite in which the couple bind themselves to each other through vows of mutual commitment and in which the celebrant gives the blessing of the church.  It is viewed as a sign of the relationship which exists between Christ and the church.  In the Celtic tradition, marriage is also referred to as hand-fasting.

                                                                   Ordination

The sacrament or sacramental rite by which, in their various degrees, ministers of the gospel receive power and authority to perform their sacred duties.

                                                    FRONTPAGE