Sacraments of the Catholic Church

Sacraments are visible rites seen as signs and efficacious channels of the grace of God to all those who receive them with the proper disposition.

[2][3] The number of the sacraments in the early church was variable and undefined; Peter Damian for example had listed eleven, including the ordination of kings.

[4] Hugh of Saint Victor enumerated nearly thirty, although he put Baptism and Holy Communion first with special relevance.

There are seven sacraments in the Church: Baptism, Confirmation or Chrismation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.

[19] However, a recipient's own lack of proper disposition to receive the grace conveyed can block the effectiveness of the sacrament in that person.

Latin Church, though administered the three sacraments- Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist- separately, they retained the idea of unity of these sacraments.

In the Eastern Catholic Churches of Byzantine Rite immersion or submersion is used, and the formula is: "The servant of God, N., is baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

"[32] It is conferred by "the anointing with Sacred Chrism (oil mixed with balsam and consecrated by the bishop), which is done by the laying on of the hand of the minister who pronounces the sacramental words proper to the rite.

"[33] These words, in both their Western and Eastern variants, refer to a gift of the Holy Spirit that marks the recipient as with a seal.

The "originating" minister of the sacrament is a validly consecrated bishop; if a priest (a "presbyter") confers the sacrament – as is done ordinarily in the Eastern Churches and in special cases (such as the baptism of an adult or in danger of the death of a young child) in the Latin Church (CCC 1312–1313) – the link with the higher order is indicated by the use of oil (known as "chrism" or "myron") blessed by the bishop on Holy Thursday itself or on a day close to it.

In the West, where the sacrament is normally reserved for those who can understand its significance, it came to be postponed until the recipient's early adulthood; in the 20th century, after Pope Pius X introduced first Communion for children on reaching the age of discretion, the practice of receiving Confirmation later than the Eucharist became widespread;[35] but the traditional order, with Confirmation administered before First Communion, is being increasingly restored.

During the second half of the 2010s some dioceses of Latin Church in the United States, as elsewhere, returned to the original order of the three sacraments of Christian initiation, that is: Baptism, Confirmation and, lastly, first Communion.

Administering the Eucharist before Confirmation began in the Latin Church, unlike other Christian bodies, due to Pope Pius X's 1910 decree Quam singulari Christus amore (transl.

One must do what is possible in order to repair the harm (e.g., return stolen goods, restore the reputation of someone slandered, pay compensation for injuries).

In early Christian centuries, this element of satisfaction was quite onerous and generally preceded absolution, but now it usually involves a simple task for the penitent to perform later, in order to make some reparation and as a medicinal means of strengthening against further temptation.

"[45] A confessor who directly violates the sacramental seal incurs an automatic excommunication whose lifting is reserved to the Holy See.

When, in the Western Church, the sacrament was conferred only on those in immediate danger of death, it came to be known as "Extreme Unction", i.e. "Final Anointing", administered as one of the Last Rites.

Ordination as a deacon configures the man in the service of the bishop, especially in the Church's exercise of Christian charity towards the poor, and preaching of the word of God.

This sacrament, seen as a sign of the love uniting Christ and the Church, establishes between the spouses a permanent and exclusive bond, sealed by God.

The sacrament confers on them the grace they need for attaining holiness in their married life and for responsible acceptance and upbringing of their children.

As a condition for validity, the sacrament is celebrated in the presence of the local Ordinary or Parish Priest or of a cleric delegated by them (or in certain limited circumstances a lay person delegated by the diocesan Bishop with the approval of the Episcopal Conference and the permission of the Holy See) and at least two other witnesses,[48] though in the theological tradition of the Latin Church the ministers of the sacrament uniquely are the couple themselves.

Jus novum (c. 1140-1563) Jus novissimum (c. 1563-1918) Jus codicis (1918-present) Other Sacraments Sacramentals Sacred places Sacred times Supra-diocesan/eparchal structures Particular churches Juridic persons Philosophy, theology, and fundamental theory of Catholic canon law Clerics Office Juridic and physical persons Associations of the faithful Pars dynamica (trial procedure) Canonization Election of the Roman Pontiff Academic degrees Journals and Professional Societies Faculties of canon law Canonists Institute of consecrated life Society of apostolic life As stated above, the effect of the sacraments comes ex opere operato (by the very fact of being administered).

The matter is the perceptible material object, such as water in baptism or bread and wine for the Eucharist, or the visible action.

The form is the verbal statement that specifies the signification of the matter, such as, (in the Western Church), "N., I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit".

This last condition lies behind the 1896 judgement of the Holy See denying the validity of Anglican Orders, a judgment that, though questioned,[49] is still upheld.

Obvious cases are administration of a sacrament by a priest under a penalty of excommunication or suspension, or an episcopal ordination without the Pontifical mandate (except in certain circumstances outlined in Canon Law).

But individual Eastern Catholic Churches, after having fulfilled certain requirements that include consulting (but not necessarily obtaining approval from) the Holy See, may establish impediments.