Sacraments

Infant Baptism	Parents must be registered parishioners and actively participating in the parish. Parents should call the rectory (797-1660, during working hours) to schedule an interview. Interviews are scheduled on Wednesdays between 10:00 am & 11:00 am. Please bring your child's birth certificate to this meeting. At this meeting, names of child, parents and god-parents are recorded, and a date for the baptism selected. A baptism preparation class must be attended by parents and primary god-parents on the Thursday prior to the baptism date. Class is located in the Fire-Side Lounge in the Governo House. All infant baptisms take place on Sundays at 1:30 pm, after our last mass. A maximum of six children are baptised at each service.
Adult Baptism and Confirmation	Adults seeking the sacraments are introduced into the Catholic faith through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) process. A new program begins in September and lead to the the Easter Vigil Mass. Classes meet on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 pm. Candidates who seek baptism, confirmation, first communion or entrance into the Catholic faith from other denominations are encouraged to call Deacon Steve Taylor, (510) 797-1660, for information and details.
Anointing of the Sick	The Anointing of the Sick is a sacrament of spiritual healing. It is celebrated with hope and joy. It is intended to strengthen those who are seriously ill, elderly or anyone going into surgery. Anyone in danger of death because of a serious sickness or from a life threatening accident should be anointed at once. If the sick person is in Washington Hospital or Kaiser Hospital, Fremont, ask the nurse to contact the hospital chaplain to visit and anoint the sick person. If the person is in Kaiser, Hayward, contact a priest from St Bede Church, Hayward (510-792-2171). A Communal Anointing of the Sick within a Mass is celebrated every 1st Saturday of each month at 11:00am. The event is titled, "Senior Day." A noon time brunch and a program follows the mass.
Catholic Funeral Services	Catholic Funerals consists of three services to celebrate the life of the deceased. The Church strongly recommends the presence of the deceased body at these services, even if cremation is selected. (1) A vigil service is conducted at the mortuary chapel the night before the funeral mass. The service consists of scriptural readings, prayers and words of remembrance. (2) The Funeral Mass takes place in church the day after the vigil service. (3) Usually, the Committal Service takes place after the Funeral Mass at the grave site. Our bodies, which was once the temple of the Holy Spirit, should be buried in a blessed Catholic Cemetery. If cremation is selected, the Committal Service can take place at a later time.
Weddings	(1) For first time marriages, a couple planning to marry must meet with a priest or deacon to evaluate the readiness to marry. Please allow at least six (6) months before the intended wedding date to reserve church, attend preparation classes and gather documents. At least one of the couple must be a registered member of Holy Spirit Parish. The couple must attend a marriage preparation program: either the six weeks "Evenings for the Engaged" or the weekend "Engaged Encounter". (2) Couples that are married in a civil marriage (by a justice of the peace or minister outside of the church) are strongly encouraged to have their marriage convalidated to receive the Sacrament of Matromony. By doing this, the Church recognizes your marriage and allows the couple to receive the other sacraments. Please call the rectory and make an appointment to meet with a priest to discuss details and begin the process of filling out the forms.