The Sacramental Life: Baptism
Baptism is a ritual of initiation that indicates our desire to enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ and the Church.
In the ritual of Baptism, the priest pours water on the head of the candidate three times, and says, "[Name], I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The candidate is also anointed with oil, called Chrism, that has been blessed by the bishop. This is a sign and a symbol that the candidate is "sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ's own for ever." Following the practice of the early church, we baptize both infants and adults in the Episcopal Church on the belief that God's love extends to everyone regardless of their age or understanding of doctrine. Any baptismal candidate is encouraged to have godparents or sponsors, who will pledge to teach their godchild about the Christian faith. Baptism normally takes place within the Sunday Eucharist because the community pledges to support the baptized in the development of their faith. We prefer to have baptisms take place during a celebration of the Eucharist, because we teach that "Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ's Body the Church." Everyone who has been baptized is welcome to share in the bread and wine of the Eucharist. There are four traditional times for the celebration of Baptism, although we are happy to work with you to schedule a baptism at a convenient time. The traditional dates for baptisms are the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord in January, the Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday, the feast of Pentecost (50 days after Easter), and the feast of All Saints (the beginning of November). |