Sacramentals & Devotions

Sacred signs are called sacred signs instituted by the Church whose purpose is to prepare men to receive the fruit of the sacraments and to sanctify the diverse circumstances of life. (CIC 1677). They have been instituted by the Church in order to sanctify certain ecclesial ministries, certain states of life, very varied circumstances of the Christian life, as well as the use of things useful to man. They always include a prayer, often accompanied by a certain sign, such as the imposition of the hand, the sign of the cross, the sprinkling of holy water (reminiscent of Baptism). (CIC 1668). The sacramentals come from the baptismal priesthood: every baptized person is called to be a "blessing" (cf. Gn 12,2) and to bless (cf. Lc 6,28; Rm 12,14; 1 P 3,9). That is why the laity can preside over certain blessings (cf. SC 79; CIC can 1168); the presidency of a blessing is reserved to the ordained ministry (bishops, priests or deacons, [cf. Blessing, Prenotandos general, 16 and 18]), insofar as this blessing affects the ecclesial and sacramental life more. (CIC 1669)

Obsequies

The Church that, as Mother, has taken the Christian sacramentally in her womb during her earthly pilgrimage, accompanies him at the end of her journey to deliver it "in the hands of the Father". The Church offers the Father, in Christ, the son of his grace, and places on earth, with hope, the germ of the body that will rise in glory (cf. 1 Co 15,42-44). This offering is fully celebrated in the Eucharistic Sacrifice; the blessings that precede and follow are sacramentals (CCC 1683). For availability of ministers, please call the parish secretariat.

The Rosary

The Rosary is composed of twenty "mysteries" (events, significant moments) of the life of Jesus and Mary, divided since the publication of the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, in four "rosaries". The first "rosary" includes the joyful mysteries (Monday and Saturday), the second the luminous (Thursday), the third the painful (Tuesday and Friday) and the fourth the glorious (Wednesday and Sunday). To favor the meditative-contemplative itinerary of the Rosary, in each "mystery" two reference texts are cited: the first of Sacred Scripture, the second of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The Holy Rosary

Via Crucis

The Latin expression "Via Crucis" means "way of the Cross", that is, the one that Christ walked through during his Passion, from Pilate's Praetorium to Calvary. It is also a form of prayer accompanied by meditation on the events that occurred on that path of Christ, to which are added the fact of his death on the cross, the descent from it and his burial. Along with various prayers, in general of penance and repentance, fourteen meditations, which are called "stations" are interposed.

Stations with biblical texts

Pilgrimages

The pilgrimages evoke our walk on earth to heaven. They are traditionally strong times of renewal of prayer. The shrines are, for pilgrims looking for living sources, exceptional places to live "with the Church" the forms of Christian prayer (CIC 2691). If you want to know the pilgrimages that are organized in our parish, please select the link for more information.

Upcoming Pilgrimages

Processions

Under the name of sacred processions it is implied the solemn prayers that the faithful people do, led by the clergy, going orderly from a sacred place to another sacred place, to promote the devotion of the faithful, to commemorate the benefits of God and give thanks for it, or to implore divine help '(Code of Canon Law 1290,1). In our parish we carry out various processions, the most popular being that of N. Sra. de la Esperanza, "La Macarena", on Holy Friday. If you want to accompany us to one of our processions, contact us for more information.

Holy Water

It is one of the signs that is often used to bless the faithful "and also the objects." It evokes in the faithful the memory of Christ who gave himself the name "living water", and who instituted it for us baptism, the sacrament of water, as a sign of a saving blessing "(Blessing 1223) It is used to glorify God for his gifts, to thank his benefits and to remove the power of the evil one from the world" (Blessing 11),

The solemn blessing of the water is done once a year during the Easter Vigil, but if you wish to bless water at another time during the year, you can go to the parish and ask for the blessing of one of our priests or deacon.

Blessing of Goods and Objects

Among the sacramentals there are first blessings (of people, of the table, of objects, of places). Every blessing is praise from God and prayer to obtain his gifts. In Christ, Christians are blessed by God the Father "with all kinds of spiritual blessings" (Eph 1: 3). That is why the Church gives the blessing invoking the name of Jesus and habitually making the holy sign of the cross of Christ (CCC 1671). The blessings of people and things are accompanied by some signs, and the main ones are the laying on of hands, the sign of the cross, the holy water and the incensation (Blessing 26).