SACRAMENTS
The Roman Catholic Church has seven holy sacraments that are seen as mystical channels of divine grace, instituted by Christ. Each is celebrated with a visible rite, which reflects the invisible, spiritual essence of the sacrament. Whereas some sacraments are received only once, others require active and ongoing participation to foster the "living faith" of the celebrant.
OUR HISTORY
Although priests from Riverside came to Corona as early as 1887 to celebrate mass at a "preaching station," (private home), it was almost 20 years before the parish was established as a mission parish in 1896.
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Fr. J.M. McCarthy built the first church, named after St. John the Baptist and dedicated in 1898 by Bishop Montgomery of the Diocese of Los Angeles. Established as a parish in 1908, it received its first resident pastor, Fr. William Power, the following year.
Fr. Clarence Kimmons replaced the original building with a "stone" church twenty years later. At its dedication in 1919, the name was changed to St. Edward, the Confessor.
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. " (CCC 1213)
For infants and children under the age of 7, Baptisms take place once a month following a preparation program for the parents and the Godparents. The baptismal application can be picked up at the parish office.
For more information on Baptism for infants and children 7 and under, please call the front desk at 951-549-6000 ext. 200
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First Communion
The Catholic Church recognizes parents as the primary teachers of their chilren. Because of this, St Edward has implemented catechesis that assists parents in the formation of their own children as well as offers ways for parents to continue to enrich their own faith journey.
Guidelines for the process of preparation for the reception of First Communion:
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The child must be in at least the 2nd grade
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The process is 2 years for elementary children. The first year children will prepare for, and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession)
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The second year they will prepare for and receive their First Eucharist (Communion).
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At registration, the parents will present a copy of their child's baptismal certificate.
All classes begin in September each year.
For specific information about registration dates and times, please call the Formation for Life Office at 951-549-6000 ext. 204
Confirmation
The Confirmation process for high school youth is a two year process. The youth may enter the process when they are fifteen years old. All faith formation at St Edward strives to include the family, including High School aged faith formation. There are several occasions throughout the year in which parents will join their youth in this faith journey.
Sponsors will also take part in this process, so it is important the youth choose sponsors that can be a part of their journey and that meet the requirements that our Church and the bishop's mandate.
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Click here for Sponsor Guidelines.
All high school youth, whether or not they are in the Confirmation program, are encouraged to participate in the St Edward Youth Group which meets every Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. year round.
Youth must present a copy of their birth, baptismal & First Communion certificates at registration. All classes begin in September each year.
For specific information about registration dates and times, please call the Formation for Life Office at 951-549-6000 ext. 221
Marriage
Congratulations on your decision to marry! This is an exciting time for you, your family, and for the Church. By choosing to marry, you have chosen to embark on a great journey of faith. Perhaps you have not looked at it in this light. Nonetheless, that is what it is. God created marriage in the very act of creation, as a means to increase the human family, provide loving companionship, and to be a living symbol of the covenant that God desired with His people.
Even in the Old Testament, marriage was a sign of the covenant that God made with His people Israel. Christ Jesus has gone even further, endowing marriage between two baptized persons with the nature of a Sacrament, making it specifically an image of the supernatural marriage between Christ and His Beloved Spouse - the Church.
Therefore, your love and future marriage are gifts of God the Father to you and the whole Church. Through your openness to love unconditionally, you will remind the Church and the whole world of the unconditional love between Christ and the Church. Through your faithful love until death you are a sign of the eternal faithful love of Christ and the Church. Through your openness to cooperate with God’s creative action in the gift of new life, the Church herself grows, and you are a sign of the fruitfulness of the marriage of Christ and the Church. That marriage bears new life in the fount of Baptism and the other sacraments, above all in the Holy Eucharist.
The preparation required at St. Edward is not intended to make it difficult to marry. On the contrary, it is intended to help you enter more deeply into the covenant of marriage; so that your relationship as husband and wife, father and mother may bear abundant fruit in a happy lifelong communion of life and love. As you may remember, every sacrament requires preparation. You prepared for First Holy Communion and for Confirmation. A priest spends four to eight years preparing to serve the Church. It is only logical that some real preparation would be needed for those entering the Holy Sacrament of Marriage
Please call the Parish Office at (951) 549-6000 x. 200 to set your appointment with our Priest and begin your Marriage Prep Process. This process must begin with at least nine months to one year time. This depends on each couples situation.
Reconciliation
We are all sinners; each of us in our own way has fallen short of the Christian ideal that we ultimately strive to become. In doing so we distance between ourselves from God. Not by His actions but by our own. Our preferences and predispositions reflect our inclination toward sin unless we make a conscious effort to align ourselves with the will of our Father. Our Lord has provided the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a means to absolve us of our sins.
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A little nervous about making your confession? Don't worry!
These two pages will help!
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Confession Schedule:
Saturday/Sábado: 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm at the Church
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For Annointing of the Sick or Funerals, please contact the
Parish Office (951) 549 - 6000 or click the contact form button below.