Saint James celebrates the life of faith through the Sacraments, and there are seven sacraments in the Episcopal Church.
Jesus taught his followers to practice Baptism and Holy Communion. They are commonly known as Gospel sacraments since we believe they came directly from Jesus.
The other five are known as Church sacraments, created by the church to celebrate many of the important stages in the life of faith. These five sacraments include Confirmation, Marriage, Ordination, Confession, and Anointing of the Sick.
To learn more about each sacrament, click on the titles below for our guidelines.
Confirmation - Confirmation is when those baptized as infants or adults who were not confirmed attend classes to explore the life of faith and what it means to be a follower of Jesus. At the end of the coursework, persons are prepared and presented to the Bishop of Chicago for Confirmation, Reception, or Reaffirmation. To be confirmed makes a person a full member in the Episcopal Church. Persons who were confirmed in other Christian Churches and were confirmed are "received" into the Episcopal Church. Persons who have drifted away or not participated in a parish community for a length of time are reaffirmed into the life of the parish.
Marriage - Episcopal Church Wedding Guidelines
Weddings - Rental of Saint James for your non-Episcopal Wedding
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Anointing of the Sick - known as Holy Unction or Last Rites, Anointing of the Sick is for persons actively dying or at the time of death. This is a special time for the individual, priest, family and friends to gather in the last moments of this life for prayer and final anointing for healing. Persons or family members interested should contact the priest to arrange the best time to gather together.
Confession - also known as Reconciliation of a Penitent is available for all who desire it. It is a very private and sacred time when a priest hears the confession of the penitent, prayers are said, and forgiveness of sins or absolution is given by the priest. Interested persons should contact the priest and set up an appointment to meet.
Ordination - the Church discerns and recognizes persons for special roles in the church. The Episcopal Church has three orders of ordained clergy - Deacons, Priests, and Bishops. Deacons are ordained clergy whose central role is to be a bridge between the church and the world. Deacons are not usually paid clergy,but serve the Diocesan Bishop in local parishes and serve, teach, and participate in worship services. Priests are the local spiritual leaders and sacramentally serve the parish in worship services, teach, serve, and lead the congregation along with the lay leaders of the parish. Bishops are the "Chief Spiritual Shepherds" of a diocese which comprise of the parishes and missions in a particular geographical area. Bishops ordain deacons and priests, and participate in the larger life of the Episcopal Church.