The Mysteries of Initiation are not entered into lightly. In order for an adult interested in receiving the Mysteries of Initiation, we require they undertake a time of preparation. This includes regular attendance at Divine Liturgies, prayer, fasting, and catechesis which usually takes six months to a year.
Parents must talk to the pastor to set up receiving the Mysteries of Initiation for their children. The parents must be regularly attending parishioners of the St. Barbara Community.
The Holy Mysteries, also called Sacraments, are a continuation of God's plan of salvation. There are seven Holy Mysteries in the Catholic Church which are separated into three categories: Mysteries of Initiation, Mysteries of Healing, and Mysteries of Service.
What are the Mysteries of Initiation?
These Mysteries are what bring us into the Catholic Church. These Mysteries include Baptism, Chrismation (Confirmation), and the Eucharist. In the Greek Byzantine tradition all of the Mysteries of Initiation are received at once, including for infants. In the Catholic and Orthodox traditions, the parents vouch for and preserve the faith of the child being received into the Church. As Jesus tells us in the Gospel of St. Matthew: "Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Mt. 19:14).
What are the Mysteries of Healing?
There are two Mysteries of Healing: Repentance and Holy Annointing. Through the Mystery of Repentance, or Confession, we receive healing by the forgiveness of sins (James 5:16-18). In Holy Annointing we are annointed with holy oil and blessed by a priest to receive healing from illnesses both in body and spirit (Mark 6:12-13, James 5:13-15).What are the Mysteries of Service?
The two Mysteries of Service are Marriage and Holy Orders. Marriage is a natural relationship instituted by God from the beginning. But in Christ we see its deeper mystery as a revelation of Christ's relationship to the Church, and as a living icon of the Holy Trinity. Through Holy Orders, Christ established the priesthood so that the fruits of His death and Resurrection, made available through the Mysteries, would be made available to all mankind throughout the ages. The East has maintained the ancient practice of ordaining married men to the priesthood, choosing to reserve the call to celibacy "for the sake of the kingdom" for the monsastic life. Bishops are celibate.
- Paraphrased and adapted from pg. 36 of "Come and See" by the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic