What are the Sacraments?

The Sacraments are “actions of the Holy Spirit at work in his Body, the Church. They are the ‘masterworks of God’ in the new and everlasting covenant” (Catechism 1116). “The purpose of the Sacraments,” wrote the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council, “is to sanctify human beings, to build up the Body of Christ, and, finally, to give worship to God…. They not only presuppose faith, but by words and objects they also nourish, strengthen, and express it.” In the Catholic Church there are seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance (or Reconciliation), Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.