What Are The Seven Sacraments In The Roman Catholic Church?

The seven sacraments are Baptism, Confession, Holy Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders and the Sacrament of the Sick. The sacraments indicate all the important moments of the Christian life and are known as the stages of the spiritual life. Catholics believe they bring themselves closer to Jesus Christ.

Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Communion are known as the Sacraments of Christian initiation because they lay the foundations of the Christian life. Catholics are freed from sin when they immersed in water at Baptism, they are strengthened when receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit at Confirmation and receive Jesus Himself through Holy Communion. Unless a person is converting from another religion during adulthood (in which case, all three sacraments may be given at the same time), people are baptised when they are babies, receive their first Holy Communion (and their first Confession) at the age of about 8 and are confirmed in their teens.

Holy Orders is when a celibate man is ordained a priest or a deacon or a monk, when a celibate woman takes her vows as a nun or when a married man becomes a permanent deacon. Marriage unites the man and the woman together with Christ, whilst a priest gives The Sacrament or Anointing of the Sick to someone who is gravely ill or of old age.