BAPTISM: Welcome to the Church community

"I felt like I was part of a cycle," she said. "My family did it for me, and now I was doing it for my sons."

Mrs. Canavan's sense that she and her husband were continuing a process begun by previous generations is an element of the Sacrament of Baptism.

In his book "Come to the Light," Rev. Richard Fragomeni, a priest of the Albany Diocese, states: "Faith is a gift of God, but it doesn't come from God directly. The faith we enter in Baptism is a gift of our ancestors."

Community event

The community plays an important role in the sacrament. According to the Rite of Baptism for Children, the child has the right to the love and support of the community prior to, during and after reception of the sacrament.

The document goes on to state that the faith in which the children are baptized is not the private possession of the individual family, but the common treasure of the whole Church.

All involved

Baptism, Mrs. Solimini said, is the beginning of a life-long process for the family of the baptized.

"There is sin in the world," said Mrs. Solimini. "If left to our own devices, we would be pulled into that. When we are immersed in the mystery of Christ in community, it tempers the effects."

Waters of life

The baptismal waters play a crucial role in the sacrament. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, they symbolize the catechumen's burial with Christ and rising up with Him; bring about the birth of water and the Spirit; and bring enlightenment.

"Baptism immerses us into the waters of the mystery of Christ," Mrs. Solimini said. "We're living in a new way."

Oil of blessing

Through this anointing, the child shares in Jesus' mission to be priest, prophet and king. The anointing, said Rev. Paul Turner, author of "Your Child's Baptism," symbolizes the immense responsibility of Baptism: to live a life of prayer, to announce the word of God and to accept the role of leader.

When the baptized come up from the water, they put on a white robe, a sign of Christian dignity. According to Father Turner, "A white garment is placed on newly baptized children. It clothes them in a 'uniform' to make them recognizable as those who share in the risen life of Christ."

Family touch

Mrs. Canavan's mother made the gown by laying her baby on a piece of the same fabric as her own wedding gown and tracing a pattern.

At each of the boy's baptisms, their godfathers lit a candle from the Easter candle as a sign of the child's sharing in the risen life of Christ.

Mrs. Canavan has warm memories of both Baptisms. "It truly was a second birth," she said.

(07-06-00) [[In-content Ad]]