"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19)
We joyfully invite expectant parents to share the beauty and wonder of your child by preparing your child for the sacrament of baptism.
As the first sacrament, Baptism washes the stain of original sin off the soul, and leaves on it a mark that will forever identify it as a child of God. God adopts us into His family, and we become brothers and sisters in Christ.
There are symbolic elements of a Baptism that show the reality of what happens in the soul. Water is used to show the washing away of the stain of original sin. Anointing with sacred chrism (holy oil) symbolizes the permanent stain left on the soul that identifies it as a child of God. White garments are symbolic of the new purity of the soul, now that all guilt has been washed away. Lastly, a candle is lit from the Paschal Candle to show that the person has received the Light of Christ, and been immersed in His Passion, Death, and Resurrection.
Your baby’s initiation into the Roman Catholic Church requires that you be registered in the parish (or have permission from your parish to have your child's baptism at Our Lady of the Presentation), attend a preparation class, and prepare yourself for the continuing responsibility of raising your child as a Catholic.
To begin this process, please contact the parish office to schedule an appointment at 301.349.2045.
The Saints on Baptism
“Baptize first the children; and if they can speak for themselves, let them do so. Otherwise, let their parents or other relatives speak for them.” - St. Hippolytus of Rome ( 215 A.D.)
"Just as a man cannot live in the flesh unless he is born in the flesh, even so a man cannot have the spiritual life of grace unless he is born again spiritually. This regeneration is effected by Baptism: 'Unless a man is born again of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God'." (Jn 3:5) - St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor (d. 1274)
"The soul is regenerated in the sacred waters of baptism and thus becomes God's child." - St. Maximilian Kolbe, Martyr of Auschwitz (d. 1941)
"Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." (John 20:22-23)
Nothing brings greater comfort than coming to the Lord in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, also called Confession or Penance. Whether it has been one week or 50+ years since your last confession, please make yourself available to the sacrament.
Confession Times: Every Saturday in the Church from 4:00-4:45 PM and 8:00 PM Wednesday's
If the scheduled times do not work for you, please call the rectory at 301.349.2045 to make an appointment.
Watch the beautiful videos below for a refresher about going to Confession. For a beautiful and comprehensive reflection on the Sacrament of Confession, please see our parish document called Forgiven. It is useful for both adults as well as children.
First Penance is a wonderful experience of the love and forgiveness of our Lord and prepares the children to receive Jesus. Here at Our Lady of the Presentation Catholic Church, arrangements to prepare for this sacrament are made through our School of Religion as part of a two year program. First Reconciliation is held in February of 2nd Grade. For youth older than 2nd Grade and adults seeking to receive their First Holy Communion, please contact the parish office at 301.349.2045.
"In failing to confess, Lord, I would only hide You from myself, not myself from You." - Saint Augustine (d. 430 AD)
"You can fly to heaven on the wings of Confession and Communion." - St. John Bosco (d. 1888)
"A Catholic may sin and sin as badly as anyone else. But no true Catholic ever denies he is a sinner. A Catholic wants his sins forgiven -- not excused or sublimated." - Servant of God Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
"There is nothing so great as the Eucharist. If God had something more precious, He would have given it to us." -St. Jean Vianney
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins." (Mt 26:26-28; cf. Mk 14:22-24, Lk 22:17-20, 1 Cor 11:23-25)
Jesus' words above and spoken at His Last Supper instituted the Eucharist which we celebrate joyfully at each Mass. We can think of this as the First Holy Communion for Jesus and His apostles! First Holy Communion is a milestone in a child’s journey toward full initiation into the Body of Christ. This sacrament allows our children to experience the wonder and mystery of entering into a Holy Communion with God. Here at Our Lady of the Presentation Catholic Church, arrangements to prepare for this sacrament are made through our School of Religion as part of a two year program. First Holy Communion is held in May of 2nd Grade. For youth older than 2nd Grade and adults seeking to receive their First Holy Communion, please contact the parish office at 301.349.2045.
"Christ held Himself in His hands when He gave His Body to His disciples saying: 'This is My Body.'" - St. Augustine
"...In this world I cannot see the Most High Son of God with my own eyes, except for His Most Holy Body and Blood." - St. Francis of Assisi
"[My] own belief is that the renovation of the world will be brought about only by the Holy Eucharist." - Pope Leo XIII
"Receive Communion often, very often...there you have the sole remedy, if you want to be cured." - St. Therese (The Little Flower)
Please watch the below video for an artistic, concise and interesting look at this beautiful sacrament, described in The Catholic Catechism as "...the source and summit of the Christian life."
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:4)
The Catechism beautifully explains the purpose of this sacrament: Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace. For "by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed." (CCC 1285)
Here at Our Lady of the Presentation Catholic Church, arrangements to prepare for this sacrament are made through our School of Religion as part of a two year program. Confirmation is held in May of the 8th Grade year. If you are an adult or a student past 8th grade, please contact the rectory at 301.349.2045 so that we can work toward helping you to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit!
“Remember, then, that you received a spiritual seal, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear. Keep safe what you received. God the Father sealed you, Christ the Lord strengthened you and sent the Spirit into your hearts as the pledge of what is to come.” - St. Ambrose (d. 397 AD)
“O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there Thy cheerful beams.” - St. Augustine (d. 430 AD)
"It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him. . . . and the two of them become one body" (Gn 2:18; 24)
"Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints... Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” (Rev. 19: 7-9)
Scripture begins with marriage and ends with marriage. Marriage and the union of love is at the center of God's plan, and is in fact a reflection of the Trinity.
The Sacrament of Marriage is a covenant, not a mere contract. The marriage covenant is a permanent union of persons, a bond helping them to know and love each other and God. The celebration of marriage is also a liturgical act, appropriately held in a public liturgy at church.
Engaged couples wishing to be married at Our Lady of the Presentation should contact the parish office at 301.349.2045 as soon as they begin plans for their marriage and at least six months in advance. No date should be set or reception hall reserved until such time as the couple meets with the priest.
In this noisy, hectic world, which often sends messages that contradict the permanent loving bond of marriage, the Catholic Church provides a marriage prep course to help set you on the right path to a long and happy marriage. This is required in order to be married in the Church.
To locate a Pre-Cana course in the Archdiocese of Washington, please follow this link to their Marriage Preparation page.
"God unites husband and wife so closely in Himself that it would be easier to sunder soul from body than husband from wife." - St. Francis de Sales (d. 1622)
(On what young husbands should say to their wives): "I have taken you in my arms, and I love you, and I prefer you to my life itself. For the present life is nothing, and my most ardent dream is to spend it with you in such a way that we may be assured of not being separated in the life reserved for us... I place your love above all things, and nothing would be more bitter or painful to me than to be of a different mind than you.” - St. John Chrysostom (d. 349 AD)
“Love that leads to marriage is a gift from God and a great act of faith toward other human beings.” - St. John Paul II
"To live in the midst of the world without wishing its pleasures;
To be a member of each family yet belonging to none;
To share all suffering, to penetrate all secrets;
To heal all wounds;
To go from men to God and offer Him their prayers;
To return from God to men to bring pardon and hope;
To have a heart of fire for Charity;
To have a heart of bronze for Chastity;
To teach and to pardon, console and bless always;
My God, what a life;
and it is yours,
O priest of Jesus Christ.
-Fr. Jean-Baptiste Lacordaire
In the Creed, we say we believe in "One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church." The Catholic Church is Apostolic because the authority that Jesus gave to His apostles has been passed down through ordination from bishop to bishop, directly from the apostles themselves.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Matt. 28: 18-20).
Jesus passed on His authority to the apostles, who passed it on to their successors. St. Paul even reminded the young bishop Timothy to practice his authority well:
"Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophetic utterance when the elders laid their hands upon you." (1 Tim 4:14)
The priesthood and diaconate are special callings, and absolutely central to the life of the Church. The most important duty of the priest is to give us Jesus Himself in the Eucharist.
Do you think you might be called? Please speak to our priest or deacon. Call the rectory office at 301.349.2045.
"The priest is not a priest for himself - he is for you. After God, the priest is everything." - St. John Vianney
"(You think) perhaps the sole ends of the priesthood are to say Mass, and to recite the Office, and then to live like seculars? No, the end for which God has instituted the priesthood has been to appoint on earth public persons to watch over the honor of his divine majesty, and to procure the salvation of souls." - St. Alphonsus de Liguori
"The power of the priest is the power of the divine person; for the transubstantiation of the bread requires as much power as the creation of the world." - St. Bernardine of Siena
"He made them the vicars of his love." - St. Ambrose of Milan
"Is any among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint [him] with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be Contact Usforgiven." (James 5:14-15)
If you are experiencing an illness, injury, impending surgery, or weakness due to age, there is a powerful help available for you here in the Catholic Church.
Jesus reached out to the sick throughout His ministry and passed on to His priests the power and duty to do the same.
The Anointing of the Sick is a sacrament of the Church in which the priest prays, lays hands, and anoints the sick person with blessed oil. It may be preceded by the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) and followed by the Eucharist. The sacrament may be repeated if the recipient suffers from a different illness or injury or if the same illness or condition becomes more serious. It is fitting that one who will undergo a serious operation may receive the anointing as well.
Elderly people may be anointed if they have become weakened, even though no serious illness is present.
This sacrament is a ritual of healing appropriate not only for physical but also for mental and spiritual sickness.
We want you to be spiritually fortified and experience the peace that God alone can give. Turn to God, our Father, and to Jesus, our Savior, with your physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
In case of serious illness or sudden death, notify the rectory immediately at 301.349.2045. Please notify us of any sick, homebound, or hospitalized so that we may arrange to bring them the Eucharist or Sacrament of the Sick.
“O God who sanctifiest this oil as Thou dost grant unto all who are anointed and receive of it the hallowing wherewith Thou didst anoint kings and priests and prophets, so grant that it may give strength to all that taste of it and health to all that use it.” Hippolytus of Rome, Apostolic Tradition, 5:2 (c. A.D. 215) .
“[A] priest is to be called in, who by the prayer of faith and the unction of the holy oil which he imparts will save him who is afflicted [by a serious injury or by sickness].” Cassiodorus, Complexiones (A.D. 570).
He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two… They anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. (Mark 6:7, 13)