5502 york road  *  baltimore, md 21212  *  410.435.5900  * fax  410.435.4879

Sacraments and Religious Education

Religious Education:

Offered for grades Pre-K through 8, Sundays from 9:00 to 9:50 a.m.
Find additional Religious Education information and games.

Baptism:

Baptisms take place on the first weekend of each month. Baptismal Preparation classes meet on the last Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Rectory. Please call for details and an appointment.

First Reconciliation

First Reconciliation is a very important sacrament and it is offered to anyone from 2nd grade and upwards. We prepare the children for this sacrament to be celebrated usually around the 4th week of Lent. Parents are prepared also with the whole family invited to the Reconciliation liturgy on a Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. with the children attending Mass afterwards. Regular attendance at the periodic special reconciliation services for Youth throughout the year is encouraged following the First Reconciliation.

Along with the parish Advent and Lent Reconciliation services for parishioners, younger people are offered a youth reconciliation service celebrated in turn with Blessed Sacrament youth and St. Mary's youth in Advent and Lent. Watch the bulletin for the dates of these beautiful services as they arise.

First Eucharist:

Please call the rectory.

Confirmation:

Following the instruction from the bishops for this area, St. Mary's has come together with four other local parishes for the preparation of our youth for Confirmation. It is now recommended that children be in at LEAST 9th grade when they receive the Sacrament. With this in mind, St Mary's now collaborates with Blessed Sacrament (our sister parish), St. Matthews, Corpus Christi and St. Thomas Moore parishes to give our youth the most extensive preparation possible for this wonderful sacrament.

Preparation starts in April each year, with 12 hours of service to be completed over the summer period along with other fundraisers. We come together for class preparation on Sunday evenings starting in September and culminating with the celebration of the Sacrament in November each year. The program also involves a mandatory retreat at the end of September and an optional service project in North Carolina each summer. There are three parent meetings and good parental involvement is encouraged.

All candidates must be in at least 8th grade in the April of each year and be a 9th grader when receiving the sacrament. We do recommend that confirmation be a priority in the candidate's live from April onwards.

For further details, please call Lisa O'Reilly, Pastoral Associate for Religious Education and Youth Ministry at the Rectory. Candidates will be asked to come to a Mass of Sacramental Preparation with the parish in October each year. So if you are thinking of Confirmation, contact Lisa before the end of September.

R.C.I.C (Rite of Christian Initiation of Children)

R.C.I.A. (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults):

R.C.I.A. is the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and describes the process by which the Church prepares and welcomes all those who wish to enter the Roman Catholic Church. All those who have not been baptized are welcomed with their questions about our church and are invited to spend their journey with us and be prepared to come into the Church in their own time at the Easter Vigil. Even if baptized in another Christian denomination, we welcome your search and are open to your journey.

If you are someone who was baptized as a Catholic but have been 'away' for a while, we are also happy that you want to return and will gladly accompany you and welcome you back. The Spirit often probes us and asks us what we want to do and here in St. Mary's we have an RCIA team that is fully alive to the workings of the Spirit and are open to all who wish to seek out their place and calling.

We meet on Tuesday nights in the Rectory and please give Sr. Kathleen Haughey or Lisa O'Reilly a call to discuss where and how we can help you in your journey of faith. Or approach one of the members of the Staff at a Mass you may be attending and we will call you back soon.

Marriage:

Visitation of the Sick:

Counseling:

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