Baptism is an invitation, a call from God through the Christian community to live the Gospel message as committed disciples of Christ. Baptisms are celebrated on designated Sundays throughout the year, but not during Lent.

Procedure for scheduling Baptism:

1. Register in the parish if not already a member.

2. Call the parish office to schedule the baptism.

3. A member of our parish Baptismal ministry team will contact you.

4. Both parents are expected to attend the parent preparation sessions.

Confirmation seals our Baptism and confirms our commitment both to the Church and to the work of Jesus Christ in the world. The age for Confirmation varies throughout the Archdiocese of Newark. At St. Elizabeth's Confirmation is celebrated during the high school years.

Requirements for Confirmation candidacy:

1. Candidates are high school students.

2. Candidates are registered parishioners.

3. Candidates have had continuous and sequential catechesis in a parish catechetical program or Catholic elementary school.

4. Candidates attend Sunday liturgy on a regular basis.

Baptized Catholics who have never been confirmed and wish to do so will participate in the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults). The sacrament will be celebrated during the Easter season.

Eucharist celebrates our life together as a community, the presence of Christ in our midst, the Word that is proclaimed and explained, many dimensions of the paschal mystery of death and rebirth. We celebrate our unity with Christ in communion and service. The Eucharist is celebrated daily and may be received at Mass and at the Good Friday Service. First Eucharist is celebrated generally in the second grade.

Requirements for First Eucharist candidacy:

1. Candidates are registered parishioners.

2. Candidates should have completed two consecutive years of religious instruction in the parish catechetical program or a Catholic School.

3. Candidates should know basic prayers (The Sign of the Cross, The Lord's Prayer, Hail Mary).

4. Candidates should attend and participate in our parish Sunday liturgy.

Parents are involved with their children in preparing for this sacrament and are expected to attend scheduled parent meetings.

For more information please contact Marlene Malenda at the Catechetical Center Office, 201-891-3262.

Reconciliation celebrates and reminds us of God's mercy and helps us to experience divine forgiveness, to forgive ourselves and to become reconciled with others. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated weekly each Saturday afternoon between 12:30 and 1:30 PM.  There are also two communal celebrations scheduled during Advent and Lent.  Preparation for Reconciliation begins in first grade. The actual celebration of First Reconciliation is in early February for second grade. These are children who are preparing for First Eucharist. Parents assist in the preparation of their children for this sacrament and are expected to attend those meetings that will support their efforts.

Matrimony is the sacred union of a husband and wife in Marriage for a lifetime of dedication to one another's spiritual growth and well-being and also that of the their children. Couples requesting to be married at St. Elizabeth's must contact the parish office one year in advance of the desired wedding date. One member of the couple should be an active member of the parish and both need to be canonically free from any previous marital unions. In discussion with the priest whom they choose to witness their ceremony they will work out an appropriate schedule of preparations including either Pre-Cana or an Engaged Encounter. Special preparatory discussions may be offered for interfaith couples.

The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick celebrates and reminds us of God's compassion and helps us to experience the spiritual and sometimes physical strengthening needed when we are ill. The Sacrament is available on an individual basis for anyone preparing for surgery or suffering any chronic serious illness. A request to receive the Sacrament may be made at the parish office. The Sacrament may be administered at the church, parish office or in an individual's home. Usually Catholic chaplains of hospitals administer the Sacrament to patients in their specific hospitals. A Mass of Anointing is offered periodically during the year in church and once a year for residents of the Christian Health Care Center.

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is the process through which adults are fully initiated into the Catholic faith community. Those who would like to become a Roman Catholic, adults who have never been baptized as well as those baptized into other Christian traditions, participate in this process. RCIA is also open to those baptized Catholics who have never completed the Sacraments of Initiation and desire to do so. Those who become catechumens (the unbaptized) or candidates (those seeking full communion) are provided with parish sponsors who will assist them on the spiritual journey.