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De La Salle Andres Soriano Memorial College

Don Andres Soriano, Toledo City

Religious Education 1
Handout # 3

Celebrating the Sacraments

(Sacrament of Service)

Prepared by:
Mr. Ranilo P. Selma
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I. Course Title: Celebrating The Sacraments

II. Course Credits: 3

III. Course Description:
The primary concern of this course is to introduce to the students the basic
Church teachings on the Seven Sacraments. It also aims to enrich the students with
the signs and symbols concepts and principles of the seven sacraments as instituted
by Jesus’ Christ through his Church. Each sacrament has its basis in Jesus’ own
ministry as mentioned in the Bible and as practiced in the early Church.

IV. Course Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the course, the students would be able to:

Knowledge

1. Gain the awareness and sensitivity of recognizing the many events of

our daily life as experience of God’s loving presence, experiences that
can be called “Sacramental Moments”.
2. Explain why symbols can be thought as the language of faith.
3. Learn the skill to communicate through the use of symbols.
4. Realize that Christ comes to man every day, healing, nourishing and
enlightening to him.

Skills
1. Celebrate the sacraments with the family members and the Christian
community.
2. Maintain and nurture their relationship with God through their worthy
reception of the sacraments.
3.Strengthen and reinforce their commitment as disciple of Christ,
Prophetically witnessing his life and love through an active and meaningful
participation and celebration of the seven sacraments.

Values
1.Show appreciation of the richness of the rituals of each sacrament.

Let’s Engage!

Celebrating the Sacraments

What is a sacrament?

Each of the seven sacraments has its own importance. The one
thing that binds them all together is that they were established by Christ.
  Marriage. This sacrament binds two people, a man and a woman, as
one. We Catholics don’t believe in divorce, but annulments are possible if there
was not a valid marriage to begin with. In order to be a valid marriage, both
partners must be of age, giving free consent, and be free to wed (i.e., not already
married.) There must be no deceit, and they must both be open to the possibility
of children.
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Holy Orders, This sacrament is given to priests and deacons. It is part of the
laying on of hands and the passing on of the authority of the Apostles.

Let’s Explore!

What are the Sacraments of Service?

The two sacraments of Service are Holy Orders and Matrimony

The Sacraments of Service

God created us in God’s own image.  We are made for relationship and
community. The greatest commandment is to love – God, self and neighbor. In the life
of Christ we see and hear about love being poured out for the other. It is in giving that
we receive and become our best selves. So at the heart of the Church’s life are two
sacraments that celebrate the priority of love given in service of others: The Sacrament
of Marriage and The Sacrament of Holy Orders.

Let’s Explain!

In the sacrament of marriage (matrimony) a man and

woman publicly commit to give themselves to each
other in a loving, faithful and life-long relationship.
Unlike other sacraments, the couple ministers this
sacrament to each other. The priest is present as a
witness, in the name of God and of the community.
The sacrament of marriage is important for the wider
community because it reminds us of the faithful,
never-ending love that God has for humanity and
highlights the giving-unto-death love that was so
Marriage much a part of Jesus' living and dying.

Symbolism of Marriage

The symbols of marriage include the wedding rings, bridal veil, the unity
candles, coins/ arrhae and the Holy Bible. The bride and groom who have
been called by God to form a union of love .
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The Wedding Rings

The wedding rings symbolizes the unity,

completeness and eternal love for one another. The
physical meaning is that it is a spoken reminder of
faithful commitment to the marriage.

Bridal Veil
The Bridal Veil meaning has many different
meanings behind it, but the most popular
belief is that the bride covered her face
with the veil to protect her from any evil
spirits that might try to steal her away from
her groom. 

The Unity Candles 

When the Unity Candles are lit during the ceremony

it symbolizes that where ever we go, the light of
Jesus Christ will always be with us and in our lives.
There are two candles to remind the couple that it is
their duty as a couple, to remind each other of
God's light in their world. 

Holy Bible

The Holy Bible meaning is that it signifies the couple's

dedication and promise to discuss and learn about
God and spread his message to the world. It is also
the man's role to lead the family
in spiritual practices such as going to church, helping
out in the church community and serving in the
church. 

 
 Coins/ Arrhae

The coins are used to symbolize wealth and

blessing for the couple

Rituals of Roman Catholic Weddings 

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In every religion, their are rituals that are significant to that type of religion. In Roman
Catholic Weddings, their are eight rituals that happen during and after the wedding
ceremony, these are

1. Recitation of marriage vows

2.Exchange of rings
3. Drinking from the cup of wine
4. Joining hands while the marriage vows are made
5. Signing the marriage contract
6. Saying of prayers
7.The bride wearing a veil and wearing white

Sacrament of Holy Orders

Holy Orders
The Sacrament of Holy Orders is received by deacons, priests and bishops who
are called to the ministry of loving service in the Catholic Church.

Their ministry is modeled on the person of Jesus Christ, who was:

Priest– offering himself in praise of and thanks to God and mediating the love of
God, liturgically and in every day opportunities;

Prophet– proclaiming the Word of God and promoting justice, liturgically and in
everyday life

Servant-king– the servant leader who washed the feet of the disciples both at
the last supper and in his everyday life .

Deacons are called to the service of charity which is expressed through some
form of service to society as directed by the bishop.  This ministry becomes the
context for their liturgical ministry within a parish.

Priests and bishops are called to the service of leadership within the Catholic
community.

Symbols
Holy orders is an important sacrament. This sacrament celebrates Jesus as a priest
because in the early Christian community Jesus was view as the one and only high
priest. The symbols for Holy Orders are: Laying of hands, Anointing with oil, stole , ring,
chalice and Paten.
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Oil
The oil signifies that the one anointed has been
called by God to a special service.

The laying on of the hands

The laying-on-of- hands signifies
that the Church authorizes the
anointed to perform this service.

Stole
A Stole is a type of sash. It is
worn across your left
shoulder and is fastened over
the right shoulder to signify
ministry.

Paten and Chalice

The chalice and paten both
signify the celebration of the
Eucharist to offer a sacrifice
to the Lord.

The rite of ordination for priests takes place within Mass after the Liturgy of the Word
readings. It has the following structure:

Introductory Rites
Liturgy of the Word
Liturgy of Ordination

Election
Calling of Candidates
Presentation of Candidates
Election by the Bishop and Assent of the People

Homily
Promises of the Elect
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Promise of Obedience

Litany of Supplication
Invitation to Prayer
Litany
Concluding Prayer

Laying on of Hands and Prayer of Ordination

Laying on of Hands
Prayer of Ordination

Explanatory Rites
Investiture with Stole and Chasuble
Anointing of Hands
Presentation of Bread and Wine
Kiss of Peace Liturgy of

Eucharist
Concluding Rite

Let’s Evaluate!

Learning Activity:

Directions: Please answer the processing questions below.

Holy Orders
1. What is the purpose of the Sacrament of Holy Orders?
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2. What are the three degrees of the Sacrament of Holy Orders?

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3. What kind of spirituality must priest develop?

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Holy Matrimony
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1. What is the significance of the sacrament of marriage?

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2. What is meant by marriage as “Covenant of love”?

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3. What does fidelity and indissolubility mean?

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