“The Church fulfills its sanctifying function in a special way through the sacred liturgy, which is indeed an exercise of the priestly function of Jesus Christ, in which the sanctification of humanity is signified through sensible signs and effected in a manner proper to each sign, and the whole public worship of God is exercised by the Head, namely, and members of the mystical Body of Jesus Christ. (CIC, c. 834)” The Sacraments are the official and public prayer of the Church. (See CIC, c. 837) It is through these efficacious acts that God’s grace and the free gift of salvation is offered to the Church, the People of God.
The word sacramentum means: “holy mind” and was used by the ancient Romans to signify a “guarantee”. In Roman law, that which is a sacramentum is guaranteed because one could not go against that which was holy since it was sworn between them and God. The Sacraments, therefore, are the guarantee of God’s grace and, furthermore, guarantee that what they signify by liturgical signs they actually effect. For instance, a “Stop” sign that actually could make your car stop would be a sacramentum because it can actually affect what it signifies.
It is with this understanding that the Catholic Church emphasizes the role of the seven Sacraments in all of our lives. Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Marriage, Holy Orders and the Anointing of the Sick accompany us all along our life to help us achieve faith's goal: our salvation.
At Our Lady Queen of Peace, we would like to invite everyone to come and experience the great mysteries of Jesus Christ revealed, made real and tangible, before our very eyes in the sacramental life of our parish community. We also seek to provide the catechesis and ministerial opportunities to provide for an intelligible and active participation in the mysteries celebrated in the seven Sacraments and the other sacred liturgies of the Church.