Sacraments
Baptism
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.
- from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults
INFANT TO 3 YEARS BAPTISM:
Contact should be made at any time during pregnancy or following the birth of your child. The sacrament is normally celebrated at one of the Sunday (or Saturday Vigil) liturgies. However, Baptisms are currently being scheduled privately on Saturday afternoons. Parent Preparation classes are required with the Baptism of your first child and are scheduled periodically throughout the year. Please complete and return the BAPTISMAL REGISTRATION FORM to the parish office to schedule a date for the celebration. Likewise, please contact the parish office for the date of the next scheduled class (most often the second Thursday of the month in the evening). For more information, please read the Baptism Information document. If an intended Godparent is not a member at St. Thomas the Apostle, please have them complete the Godparent Information document.
Please contact the parish office for more information or to register for the upcoming Baptism Preparation Class with Deacon Nate Haney.
CHILD BAPTISM:
Contact should be made as soon as Baptism is desired. The process of preparation is dependent on the age and background knowledge of your child. Normally, if your child is younger than age six, preparation is similar to that of infant Baptism and the sacrament is celebrated at one of the weekend liturgies. For children over the age of six, they will receive instruction and preparation for the sacrament.
Please contact Joyce Hollowell if the child to be baptized is over the age of 6 years old.
ADULT BAPTISM: Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA)
Classes begin in the fall, however, contact should be made whenever one is led by the Spirit to become a member of the Catholic community. Preparation varies depending on each individual’s experience, and the time of year when first initial contact is made. The Sacraments of Initiation will be celebrated at the Easter Vigil Mass. Visit the OCIA page to learn more.
Please contact the parish office for more information.
First Eucharist
The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The term “Eucharist” originates from the Greek word eucharistia, meaning thanksgiving.
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.
CHILDREN ENTERING 2ND GRADE:
Classes are offered to baptized children in Second Grade who wish to complete the Sacraments of Initiation. Working closely with their parents, children will be prepared to make their First Reconciliation, and receive the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Eucharist during this Sacramental year. Classes begin each fall.
Children are required to attend class each week, weekend liturgies with their parents, and attend the Confirmation/First Eucharist Retreat in the spring.
Parents are required to attend Parent Preparation Meetings in the fall and winter of this year, as well as, help their child complete workbooks at home that will correspond and reinforces the lessons the children are being taught in class.
Contact Joyce Hollowell for more information or to register.
CHILDREN WHO ARE OLDER THAN 2ND GRADE:
If a student is entering the 3rd grade they will be placed in the Sacramental Preparation classes with the 2nd grade students.
Students who are 4th grade and above will be asked to attend Religious Education classes with their peers (4th, 5th, 6th, Junior High or High School) as well as attend additional instruction and preparation for the Sacraments based on the students level of understanding.
Contact Joyce Hollowell for students in 3rd – 12th grade.
Confirmation Only (for students who have already been baptized and received First Eucharist)
Students in 3rd Grade and Above
The children will be asked to attend Religious Education classes with their peers (3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, Junior High or High School) as well as attend additional instruction and preparation for the Sacraments based on the students level of understanding.
Contact
Joyce Hollowell for students in 3rd – 12th grade.
Sacraments of Service
Marriage (and Weddings)
The first public miracle of Jesus took place at the wedding at Cana, and Jesus spoke deliberately about the sacredness of the bond between husband and wife. Our parish delights in lifting up those who are preparing to respond to this sacred, sacramental vocation from God, and we look forward to providing formation for the life-long thriving of your union.
Initial contact to schedule and prepare for marriage must be made a minimum of six months prior to the wedding date the couple has chosen; this is a diocesan policy which allow for sufficient time for the couple to complete marriage preparation prior to entering into this life-long, sacred union. At least one of the couple must be Catholic.
Preparation consists of meetings with the Director of Marriage Preparation, Directors of Liturgy & Music, and the priest or deacon who will witness your marriage. In addition to these meetings, you will need to complete FOCUS (a couple communication evaluation) as well as participate in the Couple to Couple Ministry and/or attend an Engaged Encounter. This will be coordinated through the Director of Marriage Preparation.
It is the couple’s responsibility to call the Director of Marriage Preparation to set up the first initial appointment and to have their marriage preparation, including their liturgy planning and the payment of all fees completed at least one month prior to their wedding date.
Please contact Director of Marriage Preparation, Paul Duncil, for questions or to begin your marriage preparation journey.
Important documents pertaining to the marriage preparation process, including a liturgy planning form, financial agreement, etc. may be found here:
"The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament... The spouses as ministers of Christ's grace mutually confer upon each other the sacrament of Matrimony by expressing their consent before the Church."
- Catechism of the Catholic Church nos. 1601, 1623
Holy Orders
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.
- from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults
To learn more about the priesthood, go here.
To discuss a priestly vocation: contact Fr. Steve at 406-656-5800 x 308.
The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation (Confession)
Is God the center of my life? Do I understand my fundamental need for God, on account of my sin? Do I really embrace God's saving love and strive to live by it? This often misunderstood Sacrament is truly an encounter with the profound mercy and love of God, which encourages us to see our lives as God sees them, to accept healing, and to work to repair the broken relationships and do good in the example of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit--we cannot do this alone, and so we turn to God and our brothers and sisters in Christ to see and experience the miraculous forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is available every Saturday at 3:30 pm (Except Holy Saturday) or by appointment with the priest. Please contact the parish office to arrange an appointment, or contact Fr. Steve directly.
Communal Penance Services with individual confession are available throughout the city during the seasons of Advent and Lent. Look for announcements on the upcoming communal penance services or contact the parish office for more information.
St. Thomas the Apostle hosts the Lenten communal penance service for the Billings West End, while St. Pius X hosts the Advent penance service.
Fr. Mike Schmitz from Ascension Press on making a good confession:
"Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion."
- Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 422
The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick
For the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, please make an appointment by contacting the
parish office to arrange an appointment, or contact Fr. Steve directly.
The Sacred Scriptures tell us in the book of James 5:14-15: "Is anyone among you sick? ... summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over the sick person and anoint [him/her] with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of the faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him [her] up. If he [she] has committed any sins, he [she] will be forgiven."
Infirmity of any kind can challenge us in our relationship with God, especially when that illness is prolonged, chronic, might involve surgery, serious or life-threatening. The temptations in such a vulnerable state serve as an invitation to renew our relationship with God and place our trust all the more in Jesus Christ who is the physician of life. Though physical/miraculous healing is possible, the Sacrament is above all about the most important healing we need--restoration of our relationship with God and forgiveness of our sins in the midst of trying times.
"By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayer of the priests the whole Church commends those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save them. And indeed she exhorts them to contribute to the good of the People of God by freely uniting themselves to the Passion and death of Christ."
- Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 1499