Sacraments

Baptism

“Let us not forget the great gift we have received.  Our baptism has changed us, given us a new and glorious hope, and empowered us to bring God’s redeeming love to all, particularly the poor, in whom we see the face of Christ.”  — Pope Francis

Please call the parish office (614.761.0905) to schedule a Baptism and to register for the Pre-Baptism Instruction (PBI).

Baptisms are usually held the second and fourth Sundays at 12:45 p.m. Also, throughout the year Baptisms will be held during one of the parish Mass times.

It is required that at least one parent attend PBI for your first child’s baptism and for those who had a child baptized more than 3 years ago.

If you live out of town and have family in our parish, you may have your child baptized at St. Joan of Arc.  The same requirements apply along with a letter of permission from your own pastor to allow your child to be baptized here.  This letter should include confirmation that you have completed pre-baptism instruction.

Holy Eucharist

“Truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”  –Jn 6: 53

The Sacrament of Holy Eucharist is one of the three sacraments of initiation.  It is called this because, like Baptism and Confirmation, it brings us into the fullness of our life in Christ, nourishing us with spiritual food.

Since the Holy Eucharist is a spiritual food, it does for the soul what physical food does for the body.  We become one with Christ, and in this union, our love of God and neighbor grows.  In this love, we are filled with Christ’s mission, to love one another, to become apostolic Christians.

Holy Communion is indeed the Bread of Life, a banquet overflowing with grace and richness!  Let us give thanks for Christ, our Lord, and his sacrificial gifts to us!

If you are homebound, or for some physical reason are unable to come celebrate Mass with us, please contact our Homebound Ministry. A member of the ministry will happily bring you Holy Eucharist.

If  you have a child in need of instruction for the sacrament of Holy Eucharist, or any sacraments, please check out the Parish School of Religion section.

Reconciliation

Why should I go to Confession?

Every time we sin, we hurt ourselves, other people and God. The Sacrament of Reconciliation (also called Penance or Confession) was given to us by Christ to help us reconcile with Christ and his Church when we have committed harm. Through the Sacrament, we acknowledge our sins, express our sorrow in a meaningful way, receive the forgiveness of Christ and his Church, make reparation for what we have done, and resolve to do better in the future. During his public life, Jesus both forgave sins and reintegrated sinners into the community. This is the goal of the Sacrament of Confession: to forgive sins and to provide reconciliation with the Church. The Sacrament of Penance & Reconciliation involves four parts: contrition, confession, penance and absolution.

  • Contrition: a sincere sorrow for having offended God and the most important act of the penitent. There can be no forgiveness of sin if we do not have sorrow and a firm resolve not to repeat our sin.
  • Confession: confronting our sins in a profound way to God by speaking about them —aloud— to a priest.
  • Penance: an important part of our healing is the “penance” imposed in reparation for our sins.
  • Absolution: the priest imparts the words which reconcile a sinner to God through the merits of the Cross.  (USCCB)

Here at St. Joan of Arc, we offer reconciliation on Saturdays, 9-9:45 a.m.  You may also make an appointment for confession with one of our priests by calling the parish office at 614.761.0905.

Confirmation

In the sacrament of Confirmation, we receive a special grace by which our faith is deepened and strengthened, so that it will be strong enough not only for our own needs but for the needs of others with whom we shall try to share it.   It unites us more closely to Christ, increases the Holy Spirit in us, and helps to spread and defend our faith.

We have two forms of preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation.

8th Graders

Our 8th grade students participate in our PSR program.  This program is a two-year program.

Contact person: Margie Gesell: 614.761.0903
 mgesell@stjoanofarcpowell.org

Adults

Adults take part in a program called RCIA, which stands for “The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults.”  Those going through the RCIA process will receive the sacrament of Confirmation as part of their initiation process.

In the Columbus Diocese, Bishop Brennan annually sets a date in late fall, to invite those adult Catholics who are 18 years of age or older, and have not yet been confirmed to come to the Cathedral for confirmation.  If you have been baptized and received First Communion, but have not been confirmed, this is an opportunity to complete the initiation process.  St. Joan of Arc will provide catechesis for each person.  Please contact the parish office at 614.761.0905 for additional information.

Anointing of the Sick

The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick expresses God’s merciful presence to the sick and aged.  We are not alone in our illness or the prospect of death.

This sacrament is available to:
*those who are dangerously ill through sickness or old age;
*a sick person before surgery whenever the surgery is necessitated by a dangerous illness;
*sick children, sufficiently mature to be comforted by the sacrament;
*sick people who have lost consciousness or who have lost the use of reason, but would have requested it if they have been in possession of their faculties

This sacrament is offered during Masses twice a year.
If you or someone you know is in need of the anointing of the sick, please call the parish office at 614.761.0905.

Marriage

Sacred Scripture begins with the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God and concludes with a vision of the “wedding feast of the Lamb.” Scripture reveals many things about marriage and its “mystery,” its institution, and the meaning God has given it; its origin and its end; and its various realizations throughout the history of salvation in the new Covenant of Christ the Church. This covenant between two people has been raised by Christ to the dignity of a sacrament.

Holy Matrimony is the sacramental union between two people which is used in the Bible as the image of God’s covenant with his people, and Christ’s sacrificial relationship with his people. The sacramentality of marriage conveys the depths of the covenantal bond the bride and groom are entering into.

At St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, we work to maintain the holiness of the sacrament of marriage. We help guide couples through the process of the sacrament of marriage – their lifelong commitment to one another.

If you are a member of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, you may certainly be married here. If you are not members, but the parents of one of the couple is a member here, then you may certainly be married here. We do not encourage people to register in the parish in order to be married here.

We do our best to be flexible with the starting times of weddings, but we may not start weddings after 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays so that we are able to prepare for our Saturday celebration of Mass with our community.

At St. Joan of Arc we focus on the sacramentality of your marriage. It is, of course, easy to lose sight of the marriage in all the preparation of a wedding. Our clergy and staff will help guide you through the process and help give you tools to help make your marriage stronger and more loving, in the grace of Christ.

For more information on starting the process of marriage, please contact the parish office at 614.761.0905.

See Catholic Wedding Help for more information

Holy Orders

Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time.  Thus, it is the sacrament of apostolic  ministry, and bestowed upon bishops, priests and deacons.

If you feel called, or are thinking about the priesthood or diaconate, our clergy would be happy to speak with you. Please call the parish office at 614.761.0905 to set up an appointment.