The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, §1131

A B O U T S A C R A M E N T S

As Catholics, we believe that God, who is eternal and invisible, took human form, making himself visible to us as he stepped into time.

Even after his Resurrection and Ascension, he stays close to us through
the tangible form of his sacraments.

Baptism

Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other Sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: ‘Baptism is the Sacrament of regeneration through water in the Word.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, §1213

Baptism Process at Holy Cross

We are excited to help you welcome your child into the Church and our
parish community!

INFANTS AND CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF SEVEN YEARS

To get started, please fill out the Baptism Registration Form below, and we will contact you to complete paperwork and set up a Preparation Class date and Baptism date. The Church encourages Baptism to be celebrated as soon as reasonably possible after birth, even within a few weeks. For this reason, we recommend that expectant parents submit the Registration Form during the last two months of pregnancy to allow ample time for scheduling and spiritual preparation. Email laura@ourholycross.org with any questions. 

CHILDREN SEVEN YEARS OLD OR OLDER

Children who are seven years old or older go through a Rite of Christian Initiation for Children (RCIC) program to prepare for Baptism. To get started, parents should register their child(ren) for Faith Formation and contact the Parish Office for next steps. 


MORE BAPTISM DETAILS

  • A one-hour Baptism Preparation Class will be scheduled one-on-one with an available priest or deacon and must be completed prior to the Baptism. This is a time for parents to learn about the theology of Baptism, review the Order of Baptism, reflect on the responsibility of the role of Christian parents and godparents to raise the child in faith, and be strengthened with the support of the Holy Cross community.

  • The Church encourages Baptism to be celebrated as soon as reasonably possible after birth, even within a few weeks.

    Baptisms are generally scheduled for the following campuses and times (in conjunction with Mass).

    HOLY CROSS

    Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. (after the 4:30 p.m. Mass)

    Sundays at 8:30 a.m. (in between the 7:30 a.m. & 9:30 a.m. Masses)

    ST. CLEMENT

    Sundays at 12:15 p.m. (after the 11:15 a.m. Mass)

    ST. HEDWIG

    Saturdays at 5:00 p.m. (after the 4:00 p.m. Mass)

    Sundays at 11:00 a.m. (after the 10:00 a.m. Mass)

We recognize that parishes hold the primary responsibility for administering sacraments to their parishioners as part of living a full Christian life, so if you are not yet parishioners at Holy Cross, we invite you to join our community officially!

Holy Eucharist

When we receive Holy Communion, we receive our joy and our happiness ... The good God, wishing to give Himself to us in the Sacrament of His love, gave us a vast and great desire, which He alone can satisfy.

St John Vianney

Learn more about Eucharistic Adoration at Holy Cross and St. Hedwig.

Confirmation

In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit …”

St. Paul, Ephesians 1:13

The sacrament of Confirmation is an essential capstone of life in the Catholic Church. It is the “completion of baptismal grace” and, through it, “[the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit.

– Catechism of the Catholic Church, §1285

Confirmation is not the end of Christian belief and practice, but another beginning.

CONFIRMATION PROCESS AT HOLY CROSS

The Church of the Holy Cross’ Confirmation preparation process is open to baptized youth who are rising in to the 8th grade, and older. This year, 2024-2025, we will not be having an official Confirmation class, in an effort to grow our faith formation program as a whole. We do, however, ask that any looking to get Confirmed in the spring of 2025 or 2026 participate in our youth group.

Core Values

Spirit-led: Holy Cross’ Confirmation preparation is primarily focused on cultivating an understanding of and relationship with the Holy Spirit. Through the outpouring of the sacramental graces of Confirmation, the Holy Spirit is stirred up, confirming and strengthening recipients with the various gifts He imparts. Our preparation seeks to, in equal parts, help confirmands to develop a relationship with the person of the Holy Spirit, and know more about Him intellectually.

Ownership: Holy Cross’ Confirmation preparation also seeks to help confirmands recall and reaffirm the baptismal vows made on their behalf as infants. Confirmation is a rite of taking on and walking in adult faith—the reason for this commitment, and the tools to live it faithfully, will be explored and taken on as a class.

Personalized: Together, we will learn about and discern what God is calling of each of us to—the spiritual and practical gifts that He has given us, the vocations He may call us to, the people He is giving us to serve.


Requirements

We ask our aspiring Confirmands for 2025 and 2026 years to participate in our Youth Group. Please refer to our Youth Group page for dates and details.

Reconciliation

(Photo: The Good Shepherd, by James Tissot)

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, Jesus showed himself to his apostles. He breathed on them, and said to them: ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.

John 20:19, 22-23

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, §1422

CONFESSION SCHEDULE: 

Holy Cross
Saturday: 3:45PM, (8:30AM on the First Saturday of the Month)
Sunday: 8:30AM, 11:00AM (Polish), 5:30PM
Wednesday: 5:30PM

St. Hedwig
Saturday: 3:15PM
Sunday: 9:30AM

St. Clement
Sunday: First Sunday of every month after the 11:15AM Mass

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.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, §1601

Holy Matrimony

WEDDING INQUIRY

Requesting a Date. Wedding dates at Holy Cross are often booked around nine months in advance. Except in extraordinary circumstances, all engaged couples must complete the Holy Cross Pre-Cana (marriage preparation) program before celebrating the Sacrament of Matrimony with us. The Pre-Cana process occurs in stages over a seven to nine month period. Please fill out and submit our Wedding Inquiry form (click on the gold button below) to get the process started.

Our Pre-Cana couples in the Twin Cities area are expected to attend Holy Cross for Sunday Mass during their engagement period, and warmly invited to join our parish, especially so if you live in Nordeast!

FEES

We are currently reviewing and updating fees for 2024 weddings. Please contact the Parish office for more information.

REHEARSAL AND WEDDING START TIMES.

Saturday weddings can be at 1:00pm, 1:30pm, or 2:00pm. (Bridal Parties need to vacate the Church by 3:30pm for evening Confession and Mass, so if photos or a receiving line is desired after the wedding, then we recommend 1:00pm or 1:30pm).

The Church and the Marian Bridal Center are open two hours before the wedding start time. You may request earlier access for an additional fee.

Rehearsals for Saturday weddings are held on the previous Friday at 5:00pm.

Rehearsals for Friday weddings are held on the previous Thursday at 5:00pm.

MARRIAGE PREPARATION (“PRE-CANA”) AT HOLY CROSS

  • Initial meeting with priest.

  • Pre-Cana Cohort mini-retreats. Consisting of three weekend days, these mini-retreats are for all couples preparing for marriage in Holy Cross parish. You’ll get to meet and know the other couples in your cohort and close friendships often come from these events. Each retreat focuses on a different topic relating to Christian marriage in the Catholic Church.

  • Fully Engaged Pre-marital Inventory. This online survey will take you through a range of crucial issues of married life, from the practical to the psychological and spiritual, in order to highlight issues for reflection and conversation. The results of the survey will help guide your conversations with your assigned Mentor Couple.

  • Mentor Couple Program. Several one-hour evening meetings with experienced parish married couple who help to explore the results of the Pre-marital inventory by fostering fruitful conversations.

  • Natural Family Planning Course. You will receive an introductory session to NFP during Pre-Cana, then will be required to complete 3 months or more of on-going education with NFP. You will get a chance to learn Church teaching on human sexuality and how to track your cycles to unite God’s will with your family planning.

  • Archdiocesan Living God’s Love retreat (optional). These retreats take place one weekend per month, on a Friday evening and the following Saturday from 9:00am through the Sunday anticipatory Mass at 5pm. Click here for dates, registration, and additional information.

  • Liturgy planning meeting with our Director of Sacred Music.

  • Subsequent one-on-ones with priest as needed.

  • Parish Engagement 

    We believe that marriage thrives in the context of a parish, so Pre-Cana includes attending other key programs offered at Holy Cross to give engaged couples a taste of being involved in a Parish. Our hope is that couples will get to know the broader Holy Cross community to experience the life and support of a Parish. 

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION

  • Baptismal Certificate issued within 6 months of the wedding from the church of baptism.

  • Marriage License from appropriate surrounding Twin Cities metro counties (discount available with certificate of marriage preparation which Holy Cross will provide to you)

  • Other documentation as needed for special situations (e.g. prior marriages, death of prior spouse).

Holy Orders

At the beginning of each of our weekend Masses, we implore the Lord to “bless our Archdiocese with many priests, deacons, and religious.”

Furthermore, it is our earnest hope that these vocations not only come to fruition, but come to fruition from within our very own parish. It is our prayer that many of our young men might seriously discern the possibility of the priesthood.

Do you think the Lord is calling you to serve Him as a priest? If so, please get in touch with the Archdiocesan Office of Vocations via the button below.

Also, don’t hesitate to talk with our own parish priests about your vocation questions.

Anointing
of the Sick

Please call (612) 789-7238 during office hours 8am-4pm to request a visit. The Anointing of the Sick may also be received before surgery, in the case of chronic illness or advanced age. Holy Communion can be brought to the sick and homebound.

Pastoral Emergency Line - Outside of office hours,
call the Emergency Line at 612-930-0870 in case of an accident or for Last Rites in danger of death.