Jesus promised that he would always remain with his people.  He has kept his word. He teaches, heals, feeds, restores, strengthens and blesses his people today, through his Church as it proclaims the Scriptures and administers the sacraments.  The proclamation of God’s word and the life-giving power of Jesus in the sacraments are central to the vitality of every parish community.

A sacrament may be described as a sign of God’s presence and personal relationship with us, a sign through which each of us grows as God’s beloved child. The word sacrament meant “a sacred act” to the ancient Romans. The early Christians adopted this word to refer to sacred acts of the Christian religion which were external signs with deep spiritual significance.  Each sacrament, celebrated through visible rites, signifies and confers specific graces or effects on those who are open to God’s action in them.

In the Catholic Tradition, there are seven sacraments, each of them said to have been instituted by Christ during his earthly ministry.  These are:

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow Sequence - St Edward’s Anglican Church, Plymouth, England http://www.stedwards.plus.com/music/moremusic.html#praise