Serving the faithful of southern Quezon City

Signs of grace, encounters with Christ

The Sacraments

Learn what each sacrament celebrates, where to begin, and how families and individuals ordinarily prepare within the Diocese of Cubao.

Your parish office provides the final checklist. Requirements, preparation sessions, schedules, fees or offerings, and documentary validity periods can differ by parish and pastoral circumstance. Do not book suppliers or finalize a date until the church confirms it in writing.

The seven sacraments

Grace for every Christian vocation

The sacraments of initiation establish Christian life; the sacraments of healing restore and strengthen; and the sacraments at the service of communion build up the Church.

Christian Initiation

Baptism

Baptism frees us from sin, gives new birth in Christ, and incorporates us into the Church.

Ordinary starting documents

  • Child’s PSA or civil birth certificate
  • Parents’ marriage record, when applicable
  • Parents’ and sponsors’ identification
  • Parish boundary confirmation or permission
  • Attendance at baptismal preparation

Adults and children of catechetical age follow a formation process adapted to them, ordinarily through the parish catechumenate.

Christian Initiation

Confirmation

Confirmation deepens baptismal grace and strengthens the baptized with the gifts of the Holy Spirit for witness and mission.

Ordinary starting documents

  • Recent baptismal certificate marked “for Confirmation”
  • First Communion record, if requested
  • Birth certificate and parish registration
  • Qualified Catholic sponsor
  • Catechesis, retreat, interview, and rehearsal

The Cathedral ordinarily publishes regular group dates and also handles particular arrangements through its parish office.

Christian Initiation

Holy Eucharist

In the Eucharist, Christ gives himself as true food and drink and gathers the Church into his Paschal sacrifice.

First Holy Communion

  • Baptismal certificate
  • Age-appropriate catechetical formation
  • Understanding of the Eucharist and basic prayers
  • First Reconciliation before First Communion
  • Parent orientation and rehearsal

Preparation usually takes place through the territorial parish, Catholic school, or an approved catechetical program coordinated with a parish.

Healing

Reconciliation

Through confession and absolution, Christ forgives sins committed after Baptism and reconciles the penitent with God and the Church.

How to prepare

  • Prayerfully examine your conscience
  • Be sincerely sorry and resolve to avoid sin
  • Confess grave sins in kind and number
  • Receive absolution and complete the penance

You may ask the priest for help. The seal of confession is absolute. If urgent, politely ask a parish office whether a priest is available outside published hours.

Healing

Anointing of the Sick

This sacrament gives grace, peace, courage, and union with Christ to Catholics seriously ill, weakened by advanced age, or facing serious surgery.

When to call

  • At the onset of serious illness
  • Before major surgery for a serious condition
  • When an elderly person becomes notably frail
  • When a serious condition worsens

Do not wait until the final moments. For a hospital patient, ask the nurses for the Catholic chaplain and also contact the person’s parish. If death has already occurred, request prayers for the dead rather than Anointing.

Service of Communion

Holy Matrimony

A baptized man and woman freely establish a lifelong covenant ordered to their good and the procreation and education of children.

Begin early

  • Contact the parish 6–12 months before the hoped-for date
  • Secure newly issued baptismal and confirmation certificates “for marriage purposes”
  • Obtain civil documents and marriage license as instructed
  • Complete canonical interview, banns, seminars, and other formation
  • Disclose prior marriages, mixed religion, or special circumstances immediately

Only the parish can determine the complete canonical process, permissions, dispensations, music rules, entourage guidelines, and liturgical arrangements.

Service of Communion

Holy Orders

Through the sacrament of Holy Orders, the apostolic ministry entrusted by Christ is exercised in the Church by bishops, priests, and deacons.

Discerning priesthood?

  • Pray regularly and participate faithfully in parish life
  • Seek guidance from a parish priest or trusted spiritual director
  • Attend diocesan vocation discernment activities
  • Explore human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral readiness

Contact the diocesan vocation ministry through the Chancery. Religious priesthood and brotherhood are discerned with the appropriate religious community.

A clear path

How to begin sacramental preparation

  1. Identify your territorial parish.
    The parish serving your residence normally has primary responsibility for your pastoral care.
  2. Speak with the parish office.
    Explain the sacrament, participant’s age, home address, and any unusual circumstances.
  3. Receive the current written checklist.
    Ask about documents, issue dates, seminars, interviews, sponsors, rehearsals, and scheduling.
  4. Complete formation and canonical review.
    Sacraments are celebrations of faith, not merely events; preparation helps ensure readiness and validity.
  5. Confirm the celebration.
    Keep copies of receipts, clearances, permissions, and the parish’s written date confirmation.
Records and pastoral rites

Certificates, funerals, blessings, and other needs

Not every sacred celebration is a sacrament, but these services are important parts of the Church’s pastoral care.

Request baptism, confirmation, marriage, or First Communion records from the parish where the sacrament was celebrated—not necessarily your current parish. Provide the person’s complete sacramental name, approximate date, parents’ names, and purpose. The Chancery assists when a parish has closed, records were transferred, or a canonical annotation or diocesan authentication is required.

Ready to begin?

Start with a conversation, not a reservation

Your parish will listen to your circumstances and provide the current pastoral and canonical process.

Find your parish office