Parish Registration

1. Please contact the Parish Office to register at Sacred Heart.  The Parish Office is open Monday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and on Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.  The phone number is 301-262-0704. 

2. Only those families and individuals who are formally registered, attend Mass weekly, and accept a financial obligation to the parish appropriate to their means will be considered active members in good standing. 

3. Families and individuals who reside outside of the parish boundary may register. The parish will accept a spiritual responsibility for those residing outside of its boundary only if such families and individuals attend Mass regularly and accept a financial obligation to the parish appropriate to their means.
 

Request for Baptism

1. Families requesting the Baptism of a child must be active members of the parish in good standing for a minimum of six months.  Baptisms are usually celebrated on Saturday mornings at 10:30 a.m. in the Chapel.  First time parents will be required to attend a one-hour Baptism Class before the Baptism can be scheduled.

2. A family who is registered less than six months may have a child baptized when a letter is presented to the pastor of Sacred Heart Church from the previous parish. This letter should state that the family was registered and regularly practiced the Faith in the former parish. 

3. Practicing adults from outside the parish whose parents are active parishioners in good standing at Sacred Heart Church may request to have a child baptized. A letter must be presented to the pastor of Sacred Heart Church from the parish where the family attends church. It should state that the family is registered and regularly practices the Faith. 

4. Sponsors of children to be baptized must have a letter from their pastor (two weeks in advance of the Baptism) stating that they are eligible to stand as a sponsor for Baptism. 

5. A Baptism for a family residing outside of the parish must have the approval of a priest from Sacred Heart Church. 

6. A priest from Sacred Heart Church must approve a visiting priest/deacon for Baptism.

First Penance, First Communion, Confirmation

1. The family of a child preparing to receive First Penance, First Communion or Confirmation must be active members in good standing at Sacred Heart Church. The child must attend a Catholic school, the parish religious education program or be known by a parish priest of Sacred Heart Church to be involved in Catholic home- schooling. A two-year minimum of religious instruction prior to the reception of First Penance, First Communion or Confirmation is required. 

Children who are home-schooled are required to attend the parish religious education program for grade 2 in order to receive the sacraments of First Penance and First Communion. Children who are home-schooled are required to attend the parish religious education program for grade 7 and grade 8 in order to receive the sacrament of Confirmation. 

2. Newly registered parishioners must obtain a letter from the previous parish or Catholic school verifying participation in religious instruction to be eligible to receive First Penance, First Communion or Confirmation within the two-year instruction period. 

3. The sacrament of Confirmation requires that the candidate's sponsor provide a letter of eligibility from his or her pastor to act as sponsor. This letter should state that the sponsor is a registered, practicing member of their parish.
 

Request for Marriage

1. An individual requesting to be married at Sacred Heart Church or Chapel must be an active member in good standing for a minimum of six months before the formal six months of instruction can begin. 

2. An individual who is registered less than six months may request to be married at Sacred Heart Church or Chapel when a letter is presented to the pastor of Sacred Heart Church from the previous parish. This letter should state that the individual was registered and regularly practiced the Faith in the former parish. 

3. Practicing adults from outside of the parish whose parents are active parishioners in good standing at Sacred Heart Church may request to be married at Sacred Heart Church or Chapel. A letter must be presented to the pastor of Sacred Heart Church from the parish of the individual. It should state that the individual is registered and regularly practices the Faith. With the approval of the pastor of Sacred Heart Church, the marriage can be placed on the church calendar. 

4. A priest from Sacred Heart Church must approve a visiting priest/deacon to officiate at a marriage before the marriage date can be placed on the church calendar. 

5. If there is not to be a Nuptial Mass, a deacon may be asked by a parish priest to preside at the ceremony. 

6. A parish priest or deacon can place a marriage date on the church calendar up to but no more than eighteen (18) months in advance. No date can be given until the priest or deacon has undertaken a pre-nuptial investigation.
 

Communion Calls

1. Requests for the reception of Holy Communion at home are to be given to a priest. He may assign a deacon or an extraordinary minister to make a regular visit.  Call the Parish Office at 301-262-0704 to coordinate home visits.

2. A priest or deacon will visit each Communion Call in the course of a month.
 

Funerals/Burials

1. Funerals will be arranged for Sacred Heart parishioners. All other requests, including that of former parishioners, will be considered at the discretion of the pastor of Sacred Heart Church. 

2. Burial at Sacred Heart Cemetery requires seven years of active good standing in the parish. All other burials in the parish cemetery will be considered at the discretion of the pastor of Sacred Heart Church. 

3. Cemetery plots are sold only at the time of death. Parishioners in active good standing for a minimum of seven years are entitled to purchase a plot. Any exemption is solely at the discretion of the pastor of Sacred Heart Church.
 

Mass Intentions

1. Mass intentions can be registered in the parish Mass Intention Calendar up to but no more than one year in advance. 

2. Mass intentions will be received on a first come basis; particular dates may not be reserved perpetually for particular individuals. 

3. A family may reserve a particular date for only two Masses within a year's time as the calendar permits. Additional Masses that are requested will be offered at Sacred Heart Church if possible; if it is not possible, they will be sent to the Missions Office of the Archdiocese to be offered by priests working in the missions. 

4. Masses for the recently deceased will be accepted as the calendar permits. 

5. A particular intention will be offered only once in a week's time. 

6. No individual Mass intentions will be accepted for the month of November. The Mass intention each day will be for the "Holy Souls." Parishioners will be invited to list the names of the faithful departed to be remembered at every Mass during November.
 

Parish Letter of Good Standing

1. To receive a Parish Letter of Good Standing to act as a godparent for the Sacrament of Baptism or to act as a sponsor for the Sacrament of Confirmation, an individual must be an active member in good standing at Sacred Heart Church. He or she must be registered in the parish for 6 months before a request for a Parish Letter of Good Standing can be fulfilled. 

2. A family who is registered less than six months may request a Parish Letter of Good Standing if a similar letter is presented to the pastor of Sacred Heart Church from the previous parish of the family.
 

Pastoral Recommendation to Attend St. Pius X Regional School

1. A Pastoral Recommendation for a family to be eligible to register their child(ren) to attend Saint Pius X Regional School will be issued to active members in good standing at Sacred Heart Church. 

2. A family must be registered, practicing and contributing financially to Sacred Heart Church for a six-month period of time to receive a Pastoral Recommendation. Exceptions can be made only at the discretion of the pastor of Sacred Heart Church. 

3. The Pastoral Recommendation may be revoked by the pastor of Sacred Heart Church if one or more of the conditions for a Pastoral Recommendation should cease to exist.

Approved after consultation with Sacred Heart Parish Staff and with Sacred Heart Parish Council, April 2001.