The origin and foundation of Christian Baptism is Jesus.  Before starting his public ministry, Jesus submitted himself to the baptism given by John the Baptist.  The waters did not purify him; he cleansed the waters.  Jesus did not need to be baptized because he was totally faithful to the will of his Father and free from sin.  However, he wanted to show his solidarity with human beings in order to reconcile them to the Father. By commanding his disciples to baptize all nations, he established the means by which people would die to sin – Original and actual – and begin to live a new life with God.

In Baptism, the Holy Spirit moves us to answer Christ's call to holiness. In Baptism, we are asked to walk by the light of Christ and to trust in his wisdom. We are invited to submit our hearts to Christ with ever deeper love.

Reconciliation is available each Saturday at 2pm, and may also be offered after 9am daily masses.

Not only does the Sacrament of Penance free us from our sins but it also challenges us to have the same kind of compassion and forgiveness for those who sin against us.  We are liberated to be forgivers.  We obtain new insight into the words of the Prayer of St. Francis: "It is in pardoning that we are pardoned."

Jesus entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to the Church.  The Sacrament of Penance is God's gift to us so that any sin committed after Baptism can be forgiven.  In confession we have the opportunity to repent and recover the grace of friendship with God. It is a holy moment in which we place ourselves in his presence and honestly acknowledge our sins, especially mortal sins.  With absolution, we are reconciled to God and the Church. The Sacrament helps us stay close to the truth that we cannot live without God.

In the celebration of the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and the instrumentality of the priest. The whole Christ is truly present - body, blood, soul, and divinity - under the appearances of bread and wine, the glorified Christ who rose from the dead. This is what the Church means when she speaks of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

The prophets of the Old Testament foretold that God's Spirit would rest upon the Messiah to sustain his mission.  Their prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus the Messiah was conceived by the Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.  The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus on the occasion of his baptism by John.  Jesus' entire mission occurred in communion with the Spirit. Before he died, Jesus promised that the Spirit would be given to the Apostles and to the entire Church.  After his death, he was raised by the Father in the power of the Spirit.

Confirmation deepens our baptismal life that calls us to be missionary witnesses of Jesus Christ in our families, neighborhoods, society, and the world.  . . .  We receive the message of faith in a deeper and more intensive manner with great emphasis given to the person of Jesus Christ, who asked the Father to give the Holy Spirit to the Church for building up the community in loving service.

HOW DO YOU GET MARRIED IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH?

The seriousness of the marriage commitment, which is a witness to our beliefs,

requires sincere and prayerful preparation.

The laws of the church require that each party:

* Be free to marry (never having been married before; free due to death of a prior

spouse; or declaration of invalidity of the previous bond).

*Have known each other for at least six months.

*Have adequate ability to make a mature and deliberative decision about

marriage.

*Have the emotional, psychological, and spiritual capacities (abilities) to carry out

the purposes of Christian marriage, form a community of life between husband

and wife, and live a life of permanence and fidelity.

 First step

Provide your certificates to the Church

There are several documents that the Church will want to see before granting you

permission to marry.

These include:

 A recent copy of your baptismal certificates

 Certification of Holy Communion and Confirmation (Sometimes a notation

is made in the Baptismal registry and inscribed in the back of the recent

copy of the Baptismal Certificate. That’s why the Church requires a recent

(within 6 months of the wedding) copy of the Baptismal Certificate.)

 Affidavit of Freedom to Marry

 Civil marriage license

 Marriage Preparation Course Completion Certificate

Collect these documents while preparing for your marriage and store them

together so you can easily present them to your priest or Marriage Coordinator.

 Second Step

Appointment with the priest or Marriage Coordinator with the bride and

groom and a witness for each of them, who have known them since

adolescence.

The prenuptial forms and affidavits testifying to your freedom to marry are

filled out during this meeting and signed by a parent, sibling, cousin, or

someone who has known you since adolescence and will attest to your

freedom to marry.

 Third Step

C- Attend marriage preparation classes.

Fourth Step

WILL BE RESERVED THE WEDDING DATE ONCE CONCLUDED THE

REQUIREMENTS AND MARRIAGE PREPARATION.

DO NOT RESERVE A HALL FOR THE RECEPTION UNTIL YOUR WEDDING

DATE IS SCHEDULED BY A PRIEST.

FOR MARRIAGES OUTSIDE THE DIOCESE OF RENO MUST PRESENT ALL

DOCUMENTS TO THE PARISH OFFICE 9 MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING

DATE.

It is extremely important that you coordinate all aspects of your ceremony

with Immaculate Conception catholic church in order to comply with

church policy and ensure a successful wedding ceremony. 

 PLANNING YOUR CEREMONY

Couples may make their ceremony as personal as possible within the guidelines

of the Church.  It is important to remember the presence of Christ and the

Blessed Sacrament in the church.  Therefore, the music before, during and after

the ceremony should be liturgical and all members of the wedding party,

including the bride, should plan for modest attire.  To maintain liturgical

reverence, please coordinate all arrangements for music, organist, vocalist,

video, photography, and church flowers in advance with our coordinator and

music director.

o Call the wedding coordinator to confirm all final plans.  Deliver

a copy of your marriage license to the wedding coordinator.

Rehearsal Night

o Since parishioners are in the church adoring the Blessed

Sacrament, we must exhibit reverent behavior inside the

church during rehearsal.  Please instruct all members of your

wedding party to observe proper etiquette in front of the

Blessed Sacrament (reverence, modest attire, no disruptive

behavior, gum chewing, food, or drink).

Wedding Day

o The wedding party must arrive 30 minutes prior to the wedding

to ensure a prompt start time as weddings are scheduled 2

hours apart.

o Enjoy God's blessing on your marriage. . .

From the moment of Jesus' conception in the womb of Mary until his Resurrection, he was filled with the Holy Spirit.  In biblical language, he was anointed by the Holy Spirit and thus established by God the Father as our high priest. As Risen Lord, he remains our high priest. . . . While all the baptized share in Christ's priesthood, the ministerial priesthood shares this through the Sacrament of Holy Orders in a special way. 

"Here I am, send me." (Is 6:8)

Ordination to the priesthood is always a call and a gift from God. Christ reminded his Apostles that they needed to ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into the harvest.  Those who seek priesthood respond generously to God's call using the words of the prophet, "Here I am, send me" (Is 6:8).  This call from God can be recognized and understood from the daily signs that disclose his will to those in charge of discerning the vocation of the candidate.

In the Church's Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, throughthe ministry of the priest, it is Jesus who touches the sick to heal them from sin – and sometimes even from physical ailment. His cures were signs of the arrival of the Kingdom of God. The core message of his healing tells us of his plan to conquer sin and death by his dying and rising.

The Rite of Anointing tells us there is no need to wait until a person is at the point of death to receive the Sacrament. A careful judgment about the serious nature of the illness is sufficient.

When the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given, the hoped-for effect is that, if it be God's will, the person be physically healed of illness. But even if there is no physical healing, the primary effect of the Sacrament is a spiritual healing by which the sick person receives the Holy Spirit's gift of peace and courage to deal with the difficulties that accompany serious illness or the frailty of old age.