Baptism
Baptism is the gateway Sacrament, the moment by which a person is incorporated into the Body of Christ. The standard for accepting someone to be baptized is that the priest must have a well founded belief that the child will be raised Catholic. Additionally, only the parents or legal guardians may request Baptism of a child.
In our parish and throughout the archdiocese ordinarily the family should be active registered members for six months prior to the Baptism. Parents and godparents are expected to attend a pre-Baptismal class at the parish. There may only be two godparents, one male, one female. Godparents may be single or married. If married, they must be married in the Catholic Church. Godparents must have received all the Sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist).
If you are interested in having your child baptized at St. Alfred, you MUST contact the Parish Office to set up an appointment to fill out the appropriate forms and to make sure you meet all the requirements. For the Parish Office information on Baptisms, please call the parish office at (313) 291-6464.
Contact the parish office at (313) 291-6464 for information about Baptism classes. Classes are available for parish members only. Baptisms are celebrated the 1st Saturday of the month at 1:00 PM. You MUST contact the parish office to set up a Baptism.
All scheduled baptisms are listed on the calendar.
Eucharist
We are called to make the Eucharist, the source and summit of our lives. The Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Eucharist cleanses us from venial sin and gives us the graces necessary to follow Christ. Following archdiocesan guidelines, our parish requires two years of sacramental preparation in our Religious Ed classes before children receive their First Eucharist. The normal age for reception is approximately 7 years old.
For more information on preparation for your child, please contact the director of Religious Ed.
Reconciliation
Reconciliation or Confession, as it is also known, is the ordinary way by which mortal sins are forgiven. All Catholics, beyond the age of reason, are bound to confess at least once a year. If they chose to confess only once a year, it must be during the Lenten season. However, as with all Sacraments, Reconciliation is an encounter with Christ and therefore should not be considered only for those in mortal sin. Rather, as our Holy Father has given us an example, we should consider much more frequent devotional confessions.
We offer the Sacrament on Saturdays afternoons from 2:30 to 3:30 PM and upon request.
Always feel free to come up to the pastor before Mass (assuming there are at least 10 minutes before Mass) to ask for Confession.
Confirmation
As the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, “Baptism, the Eucharist, and the Sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the "Sacraments of Christian initiation," whose unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace. For "by the Sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed". (CCC 1285)
The Sacrament of Confirmation is usually the last non-repeating Sacrament young adults receive at the end of their formal religious education journey. In compliance with the Archdiocese of Detroit’s suggested policy, St. Alfred requires two years of religious education preparation for this Sacrament. The normal time for reception of this Sacrament in the Archdiocese is in the child’s eighth (8th) or ninth (9th) grade year. St. Alfred’s religious education year follows the secular school year starting in the Fall and ending in the Spring. While the preferred path for all youth is to enter religious education formation in grade one and complete formation in the child’s eighth (8th) or ninth (9th) grade year, we recognize that sometimes this does not happen and so St. Alfred offers a “catch up” path for students who have missed one or more years of religious education formation.
If your child is not already enrolled in the St. Alfred religious education program and has not yet received the Sacrament of Confirmation, please contact the St. Alfred Religious Education office for information about enrolling your child to allow them to prepare for this important Sacrament.
Marriage
Congratulations, if you are looking at this webpage you are probably contemplating marriage. The Sacrament of Matrimony. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us; "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." (CCC 1601) Furthermore it states; “The intimate community of life and love which constitutes the married state has been established by the Creator and endowed by him with its own proper laws. . . . God himself is the author of marriage." The vocation to marriage is written in the very nature of man and woman as they came from the hand of the Creator. Marriage is not a purely human institution despite the many variations it may have undergone through the centuries in different cultures, social structures, and spiritual attitudes. These differences should not cause us to forget its common and permanent characteristics. Although the dignity of this institution is not transparent everywhere with the same clarity, some sense of the greatness of the matrimonial union exists in all cultures. "The well-being of the individual person and of both human and Christian society is closely bound up with the healthy state of conjugal and family life." (CCC 1603)
Following Cannon Law, at least one of the two future spouses must be a member of St. Alfred or of another parish whose pastor grants permission for them to marry at St. Alfred. The Archdiocese of Detroit, requires a six month preparation period for Matrimony in ordinary cases. If you are interested in getting married at St. Alfred, please contact the parish office for an appointment with Fr. Altermatt to determine if you and your future spouse are eligible to marry in the Catholic Church and to begin marriage preparation. If you or your future spouse has been part of a prior marriage that ended in divorce, please contact the parish office for an appointment with Fr. Altermatt to enquire about the Decree of Nullity process.
Holy Orders/Vocations
Priesthood, Seminary, Discernment…want to learn more ….Be Not Afraid.
Visit the Archdiocese of Detroit’s Priestly Vocations web page.
Click for a Guide to Religious Ministries for Catholic Men and Women, a comprehensive directory of Catholic men’s and women’s communities in the United States.
St. Alfred Parish invites all parishioners, young and old, to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Join us every Wednesday at 7:50 AM.
Anointing of the Sick
Emergency calls regarding the anointing of the sick should be directed to the emergency line at (313) 451-8644.
Sacramental Records
The Catholic Church is the largest and most ancient continuing organization who keeps comprehensive genealogical records. The genealogy is a byproduct of the sacramental record keeping that is a necessary part of church life. Due to the confidential nature of the information, only authorized personnel have access to the records. Oftentimes it is necessary to obtain a copy of your own or your child’s sacramental record for the purpose of enrolling the child into religious education or as an adult for preparing to Matrimony, Holy Orders or entering a convent. Parents or legal guardians may request a copy of the records of their minor child, for adults 18 years and older, only the adult him or herself may request a copy.
Please contact the parish office in person, or for adults out of state, have the priest at your parish contact the office. Please allow for sufficient time to process your request.
Funerals
Arrangements for funeral services to be performed at St. Alfred Parish should be made first to the funeral home. The funeral home staff will contact the parish office.
Click to view reading options for funerals
Quinceañeras
St. Alfred wishes to encourage the families of the parish who wish to share their faith and culture with their daughters in the celebration of the young woman's Fifteenth Birthday, her Quince Años . The Quinceañeras ritual is valuable for the religious message it sends not only to young people, but also to parents, grandparents, godparents and the entire parish in calling them to prayerfully join with youth in making a commitment to God and the Church. A Mass of Thanksgiving is a part of this celebration. Since this day is very important in the young woman's life, it is never too early to start thinking about the celebration.
For more information, please call the office for an appointment to discuss setting up a Mass for your daughter.
Presentations
It is a laudable custom in various ethnic communities to bring the children for a Presentation to the church. The presentation recalls the various presentations in the history of the church of Samuel, Mary and even Jesus. While it has no sacramental value, it is a pious tradition which St. Alfred is proud to continue. The traditional age for a presentation is (3) three years old. Presentations will be allowed at most weekend, and even weekday Masses, except on Solemnities, Holy Days of obligation and other special events.
If you wish to present your child at a Mass, please contact the parish office at least one month in advance to see if a presentation is permitted on the date you desire. If you are approved for a presentation, please arrive no less than (15) fifteen minutes before Mass starts and check in with Fr. Altermatt.