Sacraments
Sacrament of Baptism
At St. Francis de Sales, the Sacrament of Baptism is celebrated after parental participation in a baptismal preparation meeting. To sign up for a meeting, please call the Ministry Center at (847) 438-6622. Do not finalize your plans until you have attended the preparation meeting. Baptisms are offered on Sundays at 12:15pm.
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Due to the pandemic, reconciliation is only offered on Saturdays before 5pm Vigil Mass starting at 4pm. For more information on the Sacrament of Reconciliation, please download and read the Catholics Come Home Chicago Guide to the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation as well as the Catholics Come Home Chicago Guide for Confessors.
Sacrament of the Eucharist
Second grade students are guided on their journey to receiving the First Eucharist through our Religious Education or Parish School programs.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a document highlighting the Guidelines for the Reception of Communion in 1996 that stands true today. If you have additional questions regarding the reception of Communion in the Catholic Church, please contact the Ministry Center at (847) 438-6622.
Sacrament of Confirmation
Preparation for Confirmation takes place during the high school years with Confirmation being celebrated at the end of a student's sophomore year in high school.
If you are someone who has not received the Sacrament of Confirmation, please consider our adult and teen Confirmation programs. For the freshmen and sophomore high school Confirmation program, contact Cathy Chiarelli, Youth Ministry Coordinator, at cchiarelli@stfrancislz.org or (847) 726-4842. For the Adult Confirmation program, contact Deacon Bob at (847) 922-2503.
Adult Confirmation Program Classes
If you are...a practicing Catholic between the ages of 17 & 99 who has made First Communion but has not received Confirmation, then consider joining us for our Adult Confirmation Program. We are offering a series of formation sessions that will allow you to be Confirmed this spring. Our meetings will be held roughly every two weeks on Sunday evenings from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Ministry Center, beginning in mid January. Confirmation will be held in May at St. Francis de Sales. For more information, or to sign up, please contact Deacon Bob at (847) 922-2503.
Sacrament of Marriage
At St. Francis de Sales, we ask that couples wishing to be married in our Church make arrangements at least six months in advance. No plans should be finalized until the pastor has been consulted. For more information, please visit www.foryourmarriage.org, a new website launched by the USCCB with resources and information for engaged and married couples. To inquire about celebrating your marriage at St. Francis de Sales, please call the Ministry Center at (847) 438-6622. For a brief overview of Getting Married in the Catholic Church and to register to a marriage preparation class, please visit the Marriage and Family Ministries website.
There are many Catholic couples who attend Mass and are good, faith-filled people but whose marriages are not fully recognized by the Catholic Church. These are couples who were married outside of the Church by a civic official or a minister from another religious tradition. For many of these couples, convalidation, or blessing by a priest, is a very simple process. For other couples, the process is a little more complicated. In cases where one or both spouses have been married before and the first spouse is still alive, a declaration of nullity, or annulment, is required. In either case, the first step is to call the Ministry Center. And in both cases, the end result is peace of heart, oneness with the Church and God's special blessing upon the marriage. Please call the Ministry Center at (847) 438-6622 with any inquiries.
For those who are experiencing divorce or an annulment of marriage, a variety of Divorce Support Groups are available in the Northwest suburbs.
Sacrament of Holy Orders
The Sacrament of Holy Orders is bestowed upon those who are called to serve the Catholic Church as priests. If you or someone you know is called to journey towards discernment, please contact the Ministry Center at (847) 438-6622 or visit the Archdiocese of Chicago Office of Vocations.
Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick
This Sacrament offers the Lord's healing strength and peace to anyone who is seriously or chronically ill, hospitalized and about to undergo surgery. Please contact the Ministry Center at (847) 438-6622 if you wish to have someone anointed. Also, for those near death and for the last Rites of our Church, please contact the Ministry Center at (847) 438-6622.
Parishioners may receive the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick at four Masses held annually at St. Francis de Sales. These take place at either the 5 p.m. Saturday Mass or 12:30 p.m. Sunday Mass. Those who are to be anointed will be asked to complete a nametag and register before Mass. The registration book may also be signed after Mass if you miss doing so beforehand. Prayers Shawls will be blessed and available after Mass.
RCIA
Short for Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, RCIA is a process of education that hopes to answer questions, teach basic doctrine and welcome people into an active role in the Catholic faith at St. Francis de Sales Parish. Those who have not yet received one or more of the following Sacraments are invited to enroll in the RCIA program: Baptism, Eucharist, Reconciliation or Confirmation. For more information, please visit our RCIA page.