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     Five other sacraments are recognized by the Episcopal Church as having evolved “under the guidance of the Holy Spirit” — Confirmation, Holy Matrimony, Ordination, Reconciliation of a Penitent, and Unction. These sacramentals are means of grace. However, unlike Baptism and the Eucharist, they are not necessary for all persons.²

Holy Eucharist (Communion)

      The Holy Eucharist (Gk. “thanksgiving”) is the sac­ra­ment of Christ’s body and blood, the central act of Christ­ian wor-ship. Jesus instituted the Eucharist at the Last Sup­per, when He shared the bread and cup of wine at a Pass­over meal with His disciples. He iden­ti­fied the bread with His body and the wine with His blood and commanded His disciples to “do this” in remembrance of Him. Christ’s sacrifice is present in the Eucharist, and in it we are united.

     In the Book of Common Prayer, the whole service is entitled the Holy Eucharist. The first part of the ser­vice is designated the Word of God, and the second the Holy Com­mun­ion. The Eucharist is also called the Lord’s Sup­per, Communion, the Divine Liturgy, the Mass, and the Great Offertory.⁵

     For a description of the Holy Eucharist service at St. Ste-phen’s, click here. For a sample service, see our weekly church program (service bulletin) here.

Holy Matrimony

     The sacrament of Holy Matrimony is the rite of the church in which a woman and a 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.” ⁹ The union of husband and wife is under-stood to be intended by God

• for their mutual joy;
• for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity;
• and, when it is God’s will, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord.¹⁰

     In the wedding ceremony, at the Declaration of Consent, both the woman and the man prom-ise to love, comfort, honor, and keep their spouse, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to their spouse as long as they both live.¹¹ The congregants witness the couple’s covenants and promise to do all in their power to support the couple in their marriage. The couple may pledge their lives to each other by the giving and receiving of rings as symbols of their vows. When desired, other appropriate symbols of their vows may be used instead of rings.

     In the Episcopal Church it is required that at least one of the parties be a baptized Christian, that the ceremony be attested by at least two witnesses, and that the marriage conform to the laws of the state and the canons of the church.

     When one of the parties has been previously married and divorced, the consent of the diocesan bishop must be obtained prior to solemnization of the marriage.

  ⁹ BCP, p. 861.
¹⁰ BCP, p. 423.
¹¹ BCP, p. 424.

     Through the sacrament of ordination, God gives authority and the grace of the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by bishops to those being made bishops, priests, and deacons.¹²

• Bishops perform the apostolic mission—leading, supervising, and uniting the church.
• Presbyters (often known as priests) join in the ministry of church governance. They also perform missionary and pastoral work, preach the Word of God, and administer the sacraments.
• Deacons assist bishops and priests in all of this work, and have special responsibility to minister to the poor, the sick, the suffering, and the helpless.¹³

¹² BCP, pp. 860–861. 
¹³ BCP, p. 510.

     Reconciliation of a Penitent is the sacramental rite in which penitents confess their sins to God in the presence of a priest and receive the assurance of pardon and the grace of absolution.¹⁴ It is also called penance and confession.

     The church’s ministry of reconciliation is from God, “Who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.” ¹⁵ It is exercised through the care each Christian has for others, through the common prayer of Christians assembled for public worship, and through the priesthood of the church and its ministers declaring absolution. The secrecy of the confession is morally absolute for the confessor and must not be broken.¹⁶

     The Reconciliation of a Penitent is not limited to times of sickness. Confessions may be heard at any time and any place. After the penitent has confessed all serious sins troubling the conscience and given evidence of contrition, the priest offers counsel and encouragement before pronouncing absolution. Before pronouncing absolution, the priest may assign a psalm, prayer, or hymn to be said, or something to be done, as a sign or penitence and act of thanksgiving.

¹⁴ BCP, p. 861.
¹⁵ II Corinthians 5:18.
¹⁶ BCP, p. 446.

     Unction is the sacrament of anointing with oil as an outward sign of God’s active pres­ence; it is used for healing, initiation, or ordination. Anointing with oil by smearing or pouring may accom-pany prayers for healing and the laying on of hands.¹⁷ The signing with the cross of the newly baptized may be done by anointing with the oil of chrism, which signifies that the person is “sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ’s own for ever.”

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the Presbyters of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord.” (James 5:14)

¹⁷ BCP, p. 453.