The seven sacraments are effective signs of grace entrusted to the church by Christ that we each might share in the divine life. Through these rituals, we are nourished, healed, and united to the Lord and one another as the Body of Christ.  The liturgical life of the church is grounded in the celebration of the sacraments:

It is the whole community, the body of Christ, united with its head, which celebrates each of the sacraments. Thus, sacramental celebrations are always community celebrations and never private functions. To make visible the communal aspect of the sacraments, the church's preference is that they be celebrated within a significant gathering of the local community whenever possible. For the sacraments of initiation (i.e. Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist), this significant gathering of the local community takes place most clearly at the Sunday Mass.