Congratulations on the birth of your child! Giving your child the gift of eternal life through the life giving waters of Baptism is a great choice you make for your child. We at St. Mary Catholic Church would like to assist you with this.

Baptisms may be held during or after any of the Saturday night or Sunday morning Masses except on days restricted by the Catholic Church. Only one Godparent is required, but two are recommended, one male and one female. One Godparent must be a practicing Catholic in good standing with the Catholic Church.

A Baptism Preparation class may be required. These preparation classes for parents are by appointment; call the office 815-234-7431

The Sacrament of Confession is available at these times.

Friday: 8:00 – 8:30 AM
Saturday: 3:30 – 4:30 PM

or by appointment

The reception of Holy Eucharist is the spiritual nourishment that all Catholic Christians need to live and share our faith lives. Each person should personally reflect on their state of grace and then willingly open themselves up to the Divine presence of our Lord: Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity in reception of Holy Eucharist.

As a faith community we encourage reception as soon as possible and usually prepare our young parishioners to receive their First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion in Second grade after a year of formation beginning in First grade. Please contact the Religious Education Coordinator, Mrs. Stephanie Schermerhorn for further information. 

Bishop David Malloy will confer the Sacrament of Confirmation on our children at a time and date to be announced.

Middle school students participate in a faith formation program in 6th & 7th grades which leads to confirmation in 8th grade. 8th grade students will have Confirmation preparation on Sunday mornings as part of their faith formation program (please see Religious Education calendar); additional sessions/retreats may also be scheduled. Older students who have not been confirmed should contact Fr. Rich Rosinski to inquire about receiving the sacrament.

Confirmation is not considered graduation! Faith formation is a lifelong process. We ask that and encourage the children confirmed to continue the training received in the Confirmation Program even after being Confirmed. We also encourage students to participate in the high school classes and Youth Group and attend the various retreats and conferences offered.

For a couple preparing for the Sacrament of Marriage a helpful prayer would be: Lord, as we prepare to marry in the Church, help us to remember that we are your light in the world. Help us to grow in understanding, respect and unconditional love for each other. Strengthen us with your sacramental graces as we invite you to be with us today and always. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. To marry here at Saint Mary, Byron, you must be free to marry and should have some connection to the parish community. Please contact the parish office at least six (6) months in advance. No confirmed dates can be given until you have met with a priest.

The Rite of Anointing tells us there is no need to wait until a person is at the point of death to receive the Sacrament. A careful judgment about the serious nature of the illness is sufficient. The Sacrament may be repeated if the sick person recovers after the anointing but becomes ill once again, or if, during the same illness, the person’s condition becomes more serious. A person should be anointed before surgery when a dangerous illness is the reason for the intervention (cf. Rite of Anointing, Introduction, nos. 8-10).

From the very beginning, when He created you, God has been calling you, calling you to know him, love him, and serve him in a special and unique way that only you can. This is your mission. This is your Vocation. This is your path to happiness, love, fulfillment, success, and heaven. The word “vocation” means “to be called”. God created us and calls each one of us to be holy, to be His adopted children, to be servants and love to others, and to ultimately be with Him in Heaven for all eternity. However, while these are universal calls to every person, God has created each one of us with a multitude of different gifts and talents that has an enormous potential to be fulfilled within the context of a particular lifestyle. The four possible vocational lifestyles that God places before us are: Ordained life, religious life, married life, or single life. For more info or if you have questions, you can visit www.rockforddiocese.org/vocations or contact the Vocation Director, Fr. Jack Reichardt  815-399-4300.