BAPTISM:
Baptisms are held on the second and fourth Sunday of each month at 1:30
p.m. Parents are required to attend a pre-baptismal instruction class, preferably
before the birth of the child. Classes are held on the first Tuesday of each
month at 7:30 p.m. in the Scanlan Meeting Room. At least one godparent
must be a practicing Catholic; if not a practicing Catholic, the other godparent must then be a baptized Christian. Call the Rectory to register for the class and the
baptism.
PENANCE:
Saturdays: 3:45 to 4:45 p.m. and by appointment.
A communal penance service is held in Advent, and weeknight opportunities for confession are offered during Lent.
FIRST PENANCE & FIRST HOLY COMMUNION:
All second grade students and others are prepared for the sacrament of
penance and their first Holy Communion. Traditionally, these are celebrated
in winter and spring respectively. The Archdiocese of Washington requires that a child be enrolled in religious education classes for two years prior to receiving these sacraments. Any child in a private Catholic school other than St. Jane who will celebrate these sacraments in the current year must register with the Faith Formation office.
CONFIRMATION:
All eighth grade students are prepared for the reception of the sacrament of
confirmation. The date for confirmation is assigned by the Archdiocese and
announced to parishioners when notification is received. The Archdiocese of Washington requires that a child be enrolled in religious education classes for two years prior to receiving the sacrament of confirmation. Any child in a private Catholic school other than St. Jane who will celebrate this sacrament in the current year must register with the Faith Formation office.
CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS:
Spiritual, liturgical and doctrinal preparation program for reception into the
Church of unbaptized adults, youth and children (age 7 and older); and those
previously baptized in other Christian faiths. Classes form each Fall and culminate at the Easter Vigil. Confirmation for adults is celebrated annually in the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle on the Feast of Pentecost.
MATRIMONY:
A couple wishing to marry at St. Jane Frances de Chantal Church must contact
one of the parish priests a minimum of six months prior to the intended date
of the wedding. At least one of the parties must be a member of the parish or,
if you are not a member, you must have immediate family in the parish. A
Marriage Preparation Course (offered in the fall, winter and spring) is required.
Do not set a date until you have met with the priest.
Several other initiatives and programs minister to engaged and married couples:
For Your Marriage (http://www.foryourmarriage.org) is an initiative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that provides resources for engaged and married couples.
Worldwide Marriage Encounter (http://www.wwme.org) sponsors weekends locally for couples who want to turn their good marriage into a great marriage.
Retrouvaille (http://www.retrouvaille.org) sponsors weekends locally that provides the tools needed to rediscover a loving marriage relationship.
PASTORAL CARE OF THE SICK:
Please call the parish office when a parishioner is in the hospital, a nursing home, or confined to home and wishes to receive a visit or any of the sacraments. The sacrament of the anointing of the sick is administered to those whose health is seriously impaired by sickness or old age (PCS, 8); to those about to undergo surgery when a serious illness is the reason for the surgery (PCS, 10); and to the elderly if they become notably weakened even though no serious illness is present (PCS, 11). Those who once had the use of reason, but have subsequently lost their mental faculties due to senility, unconsciousness, mental illness or some other reason should be anointed (C. 1006). The sacrament of anointing may be repeated when the sick person recovers after being anointed and, at a later time, becomes sick again; or when during the same illness the condition of the sick person becomes more serious (PCS, 9). The rite of viaticum is used by the Church to comfort and strengthen a dying Catholic in the passage from this life (PCS, 161). The ministry to the dying includes the sacrament of penance, the renewal of baptismal promises, and Communion as viaticum (food for the journey).
HOLY ORDERS & CONSECRATED LIFE:
If you believe that you or someone you know has a vocation to the priesthood, permanent diaconate or religious life, please contact Msgr. Rob Panke, Archdiocesan Director of Priestly Vocations (301-853-4580), Fr. Scott Hurd, Archdiocesan Director of Diaconate Formation (301-853-4583), Sr. Rebecca Burke, OSF, Archdiocesan Delegate for Consecrated Life ( 301-853-4576), one of our parish priests, Sr. Sally or Bro. Ed.
FUNERALS
The following resource was created to help parishioners plan a funeral for a loved one. It addresses the procedure for setting up a funeral Mass, music in the funeral rites, selecting Scripture and texts for the funeral Mass, cremation and the respect for the remains of the deceased's body, remarks of reflection during the funeral Mass, and parish support in the ministry of the Bereavement Committee.
Planning Funerals at St. Jane de Chantal
