I BAPTISE THEE

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER,

IN THE NAME OF THE SON

AND IN THE NAME OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

WHO IS ONE GOD FOR EVER AND EVER

Welcome to the Baptism Page of the parish website.  Here we talk about the sacrament, how the parish celebrates the sacrament and how – under Fr John’s guidance - we help parents prepare for the baptism of their child.  Elsewhere on this website you will find details of the preparation programme for adults known by its initials

RCIA. 

In Ss Mary & Joseph we have a two-session programme for the parents of small children being brought for baptism, usually on the first and third Saturday of each month, but this can vary slightly.  Dates for future sessions are set out below.  The team presently consists of Merril Delaney, Rosemary Fairhurst and Claire Patfield.  We would welcome more catechists, not because it is strenuous, but because catechists enrich the sessions through their own experiences and insights. 

The first session is by way of introductions and sharing the experiences of becoming parents from the first moments of awareness that we were ‘no longer alone’.  These are fundamental experiences which bear significantly on our understanding of the sacrament and why it is a cause for joy and celebration, not only within the family but also within the parish.  We touch fairly lightly on the theology of baptism with extracts from the Gospels and the early Fathers and respond to parents’ questions as they arise. 

The second session looks at the mechanics of the celebration and the meaning behind the symbols used during the rite.  In Ss Mary and Joseph we welcome the child during Mass, presenting him or her to the community and seeking their acceptance and blessing.  Accompanied by one of the catechists, the parents take their child into the congregation and ask the people to bless their child with the sign of the cross.  It is a profound moment both for the parents and for the congregation.  After Holy Communion we pray for and bless the parents, anointing them as a mark of their vocation as mother and father of the child.  The sacrament is then fully conferred within the family at a later date arranged with Fr John. 

Session Dates for 2009: 
 
TBA TBA

Meetings are in the Parish Centre, starting about 10.00am and usually last about an hour-and-a-half.

 

 

Initial Contact: Father John      pp@boxmoorcatholic.org

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                           was last updated on       Friday, 24 July 2009