Other Sacramental Rites

Q.What other sacramental rites evolved in the Church under the guidance of the Holy 
     Spirit?
A. Other sacramental rites which evolved in the Church include confirmation, 
     ordination, holy matrimony, reconciliation of a penitent, and unction.  

Q. How do they differ from the two sacraments of the Gospel?
A. Although they are means of grace, they are not necessary for all persons in the same 
     way that Baptism and the Eucharist are.  

Q. What is Confirmation?
A. Confirmation is the rite in which we express a mature commitment to Christ, and 
     receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a 
     bishop.  

Q. What is required of those to be confirmed?A.It is required of those to be confirmed 
      that they have been baptized, are sufficiently instructed in the Christian Faith, are 
      penitent for their sins, and are ready to affirm their confession of Jesus Christ as Savior 
      and Lord.  

Q. What is Ordination?
A.  Ordination is the rite in which God gives authority and the grace of the Holy Spirit to 
      those being made bishops, priests, and deacons, through prayer and the laying on of 
      hands by bishops.  

Q. What is Holy Matrimony?
A.  Holy Matrimony is Christian marriage, in which the woman and man enter into a 
      life-long union, make their vows before God and the Church, and receive 
      the grace and blessing of God to help them fulfill their vows.*  

Q. What is Reconciliation of a Penitent?
A.  Reconciliation of a Penitent, or Penance, is the rite in which those who repent of 
      their sins may confess them to God in the presence of a priest, and receive 
      the assurance of pardon and the grace of absolution.  

Q. What is Unction of the Sick?
A.  Unction is the rite of anointing 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.  

Q. Is God's activity limited to these rites?
A. God does not limit himself to these rites; they are patterns of countless ways by which 
     God uses material things to reach out to us.  

Q. How are the sacraments related to our Christian hope?
A. Sacraments sustain our present hope and anticipate its future fulfillment.

*Pursuant to recent resolutions of The General Convention of the Episcopal Church, marriage in the Episcopal   Church is now open to same-sex couples.