For infants and children under 8, a preparation class for parents is held the third Sunday of each month at 1:30 p.m. (godparents welcome), and Baptisms are celebrated by our deacons on the fourth Sunday. Call the parish office at (419) 352-4195 to register. Children 8 and older prepare with Nick De La Torre, Pastoral Associate for Discipleship (dlt.n@stalbg.org, ext. 114); adults seeking Baptism join Becoming Catholic (OCIA).

Children traditionally prepare in second grade through the Encounter with Christ curriculum, two parent meetings, and the Dragon Slayer retreat. First Reconciliation is celebrated in late November or early December; First Communion in spring, with a Saturday Learning Mass to practice. Older youth and adults prepare too — contact Nick De La Torre (dlt.n@stalbg.org, ext. 114). School families are registered automatically; others register through Family Faith Formation.

Preparation spans seventh and eighth grade: about 24 sessions, a Culture Project retreat in the fall, the Damascus Catholic Mission Camp weekend in spring (about $100 after the parish subsidy), ten works of mercy chosen from twenty-one, an interview, and a letter to Fr. Tom asking for the sacrament in your own words. Sponsors must be fully initiated Catholics, 16 or older, actively living the faith. Confirmation is celebrated in spring at Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral in Toledo, with Bishop Daniel E. Thomas. Contact Nick De La Torre (dlt.n@stalbg.org, ext. 114).

Congratulations! Call the parish office at (419) 352-4195 to schedule your wedding — preparation details come with the date. Couples prepare through the FOCCUS inventory (used for first and second marriages alike) and the diocesan Joy-Filled Marriage workshops. Both parties must be baptized.

An annulment is a declaration by a Church tribunal that a marriage believed valid fell short of an essential element of the bond. If you are divorced — Catholic or not — the parish will help you explore the process, handle the paperwork, and support you through it. Speak with Fr. Tom: (419) 352-4195. The US bishops answer common questions at foryourmarriage.org.

Before serious surgery, during a hospital stay, or in any serious illness, call the parish office — a priest will come. The parish also celebrates communal Anointing about four times a year after Mass, and every first Wednesday’s Day of Grace & Healing offers the sacrament from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Every baptized person has a vocation — marriage, priesthood, religious life, or dedicated single life. Young men considering the priesthood can reach the Diocese of Toledo’s Office of Priestly Vocations at toledopriesthood.org, or talk with Fr. Tom.