Title: The Seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church | Britannica
Headings: The Seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic church
The Seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic church
Baptism
Eucharist
Confirmation
Reconciliation
Anointing of the Sick
Marriage
Ordination

Content: Baptism
baptism of Jesus
The baptism of Jesus by St. John the Baptist, from an Armenian evangelistary (1587). © Photos.com/Thinkstock
Baptism is seen as the sacrament of admission to the faith, bringing sanctifying grace to the person being baptized. In Catholicism the baptism of infants is the most common form, but unbaptized children or adults who wish to join the faith must also receive the sacrament. A person is to be baptized only once in their life, and the Catholic Church recognizes baptisms done by most other Christian denominations as valid. In the rite of baptism holy water is usually sprinkled or poured on the head by a priest who simultaneously invokes the Trinity with the words, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The old self is said to die in the waters, and a new self emerges, mirroring the death and resurrection of Christ. Given that the sacrament is understood as a requirement for salvation, anyone, even non-baptized persons, can baptize someone as the situation requires. Eucharist
Clements, George
George Clements (left) distributes the Eucharist at his parish, Holy Angels Church, in Chicago, 1973. John H. White/EPA/National Archives, Washington, D.C.
The Eucharist, or Holy Communion, is another sacrament of initiation and can be received daily if desired. It is the central rite of Catholic worship.