The Sacraments

What are the sacraments of the Episcopal Church?

The Sacraments are the "outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace." Grace is God's love freely given to us for forgiveness and spiritual renewal. The two sacraments of the Gospel instituted and ordained by Christ Himself as essential for every Christian's salvation are:

Baptism
“We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sin…”  We believe that baptism is a pledge of repentance and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. When people are baptized, we believe that God adopts us as His Children and makes us members of Christ's Body, the Church. 

 We baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  The outward and visible sign of baptism is water, the inward and spiritual sign of baptism is grace.

Holy Eucharist
In it we share bread and wine for the continual remembrance of Christ's life, death, and resurrection until His coming again. Through it we receive the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our union with Christ and one another. The outward and visible sign in the Eucharist is the bread and wine.  The inward and spiritual grace given in the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ given to His people, and received by faith.

Does the Episcopal Church offer any other sacraments?

 Yes. There are five other sacramental rites.  Although these sacraments are means of grace, they are not necessary for all people in the same way that Baptism and the Eucharist are.

Confirmation: the rite in which we express mature commitment to Christ and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a Bishop. 

Holy Matrimony: the sacrament of marriage, in which a man and a woman commit their lives to one another and receive God's blessing. 

Reconciliation of a Penitent: the confession of one's sins to God in the presence of a priest and the receiving of the assurance of God's forgiveness and the grace of absolution. 

Ministration to the Sick: the anointing of the sick with oil, or the laying on of hands, by which God's grace is given for the healing of spirit, mind, and body.   We use this sacrament in our Healing Services every 3rd Sunday.

Ordination: the sacrament consecrating Christians in service to God as bishops, priests and deacons.