Diocese of Brooklyn
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Baptism
We celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism in English usually on the 4th Sunday of the Month at 2:00pm. In Spanish usually on the second Saturday of the Month at 12:00pm.
Parents are required to attend a baptism preparation class for their first child.
Godparents are required to be above the age of 16, have received the Sacrament of Confirmation, if two godparents (sponsors) are chosen, one must be male and the other female, and obtain a "Sponsor Certificate."
Parents not living in the boundaries of St. Finbar Parish are required to obtain a "Letter of Release" from their parish.
Please call the rectory to prepare for your child’s baptism and for any answers to questions you may have. -
Holy Communion
The Roman Catholic Church sees the Mass as the most perfect way it has to offer adoration to God. It is also Catholic belief that in objective reality, not merely symbolically, the wheaten bread and grape wine are converted into Christ's body and blood, a conversion referred to as transubstantiation, so that the whole Christ, body and blood, soul and divinity, is truly, really, and substantially contained in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
Holy Communion is offered for the first time to those baptized Catholics who are properly catechized. Children are required to attend the parish Religious Education School for at least two years and normally receive the sacrament at the end of the 2nd Grade.
Adults who have been baptized are required to enroll and attend RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults.) This program is geared for adult learning and adults will receive both Holy Communion and Confirmation at the Easter Vigil. If the adult has not been baptized, they would also receive baptism at the same Easter Vigil. -
Confirmation
Teenagers are required to enroll and matriculate through the parish Religious Education School. Confirmation is only authorized by the pastor pending the recommendation of the Catechists and Administration of the Religious Education School. Candidates are required to make retreats, community service and have mastered the major tenants of our faith.
Adults who have been baptized and received Holy Communion are to enroll in the Adult Confirmation Program. After successful completion to this adult learning experience, the candidate will be confirmed on Pentecost Sunday. -
Reconciliation (Confession)
The Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation (also known as the Sacrament of Penance, or Penance and Reconciliation) has three elements: conversion, confession and celebration. In it we find God's unconditional forgiveness, and as a result we are called to forgive others.
Confessions are heard Saturday's at 4:30pm
or by appointment with a priest. (Call the Rectory Office for an appointment 718.236.3312) -
Anointing of the Sick
The Catholic sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, formerly known as Last Rites or Extreme Unction, is a ritual of healing appropriate not only for physical but also for mental and spiritual sickness. Read More
In case of sudden illness or emergency call the rectory immediately.
For those of advanced age, handicapped or seriously ill, contact the rectory to arrange for the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion. Our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion enable the sick to receive Holy Communion frequently. If you are attending daily Mass and wish to be anointed please see the priest after Mass, he will gladly anoint you! -
Matrimony (Marriage)
For Catholics, the Sacrament of Marriage, or Holy Matrimony, is a public sign that one gives oneself totally to this other person. It is also a public statement about God: the loving union of husband and wife speaks of family values and also God's values. Read More
To prepare adequately for the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, the couple to be married must call the rectory to arrange an appointment with a priest/deacon at least Six Months before the marriage date.
Couples will receive a packet from the parish which needs to be completed before a deposit can be left and a date secured.
Couples must also participate in the Diocesan Pre-Cana program. www.pre-cana.org
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Holy Orders
The sacrament by which, through the authority of the Church, the imposition of a bishop’s hands confers on a man the grace and spiritual power to celebrate the Church’s sacraments.
There are three forms of this sacrament: diaconate (deacon), presbyterate (priest) and episcopate (bishop). One sacrament, celebrated three times with successively higher sacramental effects.
Every man in Holy Orders is either a deacon, priest or bishop (Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio is the Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn). A monsignor, for instance, is an older priest who has special recognition as a member of the papal household. An archbishop is a bishop in charge of a larger diocese called an archdiocese. A cardinal is a special member of the papal household. The pope (Pope Francis) is the Bishop of Rome. Read More