Baptism, the foundational sacrament of the Church, is the first of three sacraments
of initiation, followed in the usual order by Confirmation and Eucharist. It is
the fount from which springs a full and invigorating Christian life and begins the
Christian journey. In Christian history and theology, Baptism washes away the onus
of original and personal sin, dresses one in Christ’s dazzling garment of pure love,
oils one for the work of building the kingdom of justice and peace, and inserts
one into the communion of believers stretching through the centuries. It is at once
transforming, purifying, reconciling and uniting.
Although most Catholic Christians continue to experience this sacrament as infants,
Baptism presupposes a journey of faith prior to its celebration on the part of the
participant. Such a journey is provided in most instances of adult baptism through
the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA)
or with children over the age of reason by the similar Rite of Christian Initiation
for Children.
For infants and younger children, parents provide the context of the Christian journey.
Thus during the preparation for the sacrament and during its celebration, parents
(and godparents) review and renew in a solemn manner their own Baptismal promises,
that they may immerse their children in the faith of the Church and its practice
through their own spiritual journeys.
Drawing these themes together, Baptism is most fundamentally a participation in
the Paschal Mystery, a movement from death to life, which is the ongoing experience
and vision of everyone who follows Christ. Therefore it is most fitting and preferred
that every candidate for Baptism be immersed in the living waters, to reveal starkly
the transformation that occurs in this sacrament. The one baptized is truly now
risen with Christ and lives with Christ and in Christ must remain so into eternal
life.
When we think about the biblical origins of the sacrament of Baptism, most of us
start with John the Baptist. In reality we
now know that a variety of ritual acts existed in the time of the Old Testament,
which provided a rich pool of symbols, rituals and practices from which the Christian
community later drew. Let us briefly touch on a few of the more significant ones.
We know that for the Hebrews, a people living in a parched land, water was a powerful
symbol of life. Because it was basic to cleansing, it was often used in the Hebrew
rites of purification. The Hebrews did not think in terms of a body/soul split;
physical purification rites like washing of hands or the cleansing of sacred utensils
were also understood as a sign of an interior purification if performed in the right
attitude.
In late Judaism (after about 100 BC) we can identify a
“baptism” movement consisting of a variety of sects which employed frequent
ritual baths as a means of preparing for the imminent Day of the Lord. At this time
we find indications of the practice of “proselyte baptism”.
Gentiles, as such, were considered impure and therefore needed to undergo a ritual
purification. For males this was followed by circumcision as the essential part
of their initiation into God’s chosen people. Following the
“baptism” and circumcision the convert sometimes performed a ritual sacrifice,
signifying full participation in the liturgy and worship of the community. This
may have influenced the later practices of sharing in the Eucharist as a part of
Christian initiation.
John the Baptizer obviously drew from much of this tradition in his own ministry.
John’s basic message was one of repentance and conversion in preparation for the
coming Messianic Kingdom. For those who heard John, his baptism provided a concrete
sign of their acceptance of his preaching. It is a firm gospel tradition that it
was John’s baptism of Jesus that marked the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry.
Most scholars see this key event as a proclamation that the Kingdom for which John
was the herald had indeed arrived in the person of Jesus.
Even though Sacred Scripture indicates that Jesus and his disciples baptized (John
3, 22), baptizing did not play a major part in Jesus’ own earthly ministry. What
is significant however, is the biblical evidence that it quickly became a central
ritual of the Christian community almost immediately following Jesus’ death. In
fact, the two key historical events that were most formative in the church’s understanding
of Christian initiation were Jesus’ death and resurrection and the coming of the
Spirit. The earliest rites of initiation, water baptism by submersion and the laying
on of hands, together sacramentalized these two historical events in one act of
initiation. The convert’s public assent of faith marked the entrance into the Paschal
Mystery and experience of the Spirit. In the sacrament of Baptism this action is
what was celebrated by the convert and community. Meaningful faith could not be
private, it was public and it was communal. Baptism celebrated this reality.
It is important that we are able to see this early development of Baptism in its
proper context. It clearly was an expression of the life of the Church. It was a
sacrament of initiation. As the church grew and developed in its first few centuries,
the process of initiation also expanded to include what we refer to now as the Catechumenate,
a faith journey undertaken by both candidate (catechumen)
and community. This journey often spanning years clearly demonstrated that initiation
was a process. Early in Church practice the Baptism of a convert (by this time a
rich rite including the imposition of hands and an anointing) was immediately followed
by the celebration of the Eucharist, the principal worship of the Church. Since
Baptism was obviously associated with conversion, it was therefore administered
primarily to adults for the first two or three centuries. When whole households
were converted, and received into the Church, children were included in this rite.
The main factor encouraging the delay of Baptism was the harsh penitential discipline
of the early Church. In the Church’s thinking of that time one had only two chances
to receive the sacramental sign of forgiveness: Baptism and the reception of Penance
after Baptism. It was in the fourth and fifth centuries that Baptism underwent some
of the most dramatic changes as a result of a curious blend of theological insight
and historical circumstance. As was mentioned earlier, Baptism was understood as
a sacrament of adult conversion. The convert celebrated reconciliation with God
and liberation from sin. It was St. Augustine, however, who emphasized the notion
of baptismal liberation from sin and took the understanding of the Sacrament in
a new direction. As an ardent foe of Pelagianism, a heresy which held that humanity
could attain salvation unaided by grace, Augustine emphasized the reality of original
sin and the resulting necessity for the grace of baptismal cleansing. Prior to this
the people had little reason to fear for the salvation of their unbaptized children.
With this new theology and given the high rate of infant mortality, parents began
to appeal to their bishop for the immediate baptism of their children. By the fifth
century infant baptism had become the common practice. It should also be remembered
that by this time the empire had become predominantly Christian. Adult conversion
and baptism was de-emphasized because there were few unbaptized adults left.
The role of the bishop in the Sacraments of Initiation was very important. In the
first few centuries of the Church he was the primary minister of the Rite of Initiation
which included Baptism, Confirmation, and the reception of Eucharist. Yet by the
fourth and fifth centuries the Church had grown to such an extent that he was unable
to visit each community as frequently as in times past. This created an issue that
was solved pastorally in different ways by the East and West. In the West bishops
began to delegate to the presbyters the authority to baptize, while reserving to
themselves the second element in the initiation process, the imposition of hands
and anointing, which became Confirmation as a separate sacrament. In the East the
decision was made to maintain the unity of the initiation rites thus making the
presbyter the primary minister. The practice of baptizing, confirming and administering
Eucharist in one ceremony together at infancy has continued from that time to the
present in the Eastern Church.
In both East and West infant baptism remained the most common practice. This is
not without its wisdom. While the Church has distanced itself from the medieval
preoccupation with original sin and the salvation of the unbaptized, infant baptism
still provides a powerful reminder that the pilgrimage of faith is truly life-long.
Furthermore, we are reminded that it is God who takes the initiative in salvation
and offers his grace to all human beings. The community, for its part, wishes to
begin its nurturing of faith as early as possible in the child’s life. One way of
nurturing the faith of a child was the practice in the church to give the child
the name of a saint who was to be the patron and model for the Christian all through
life.
While infant baptism is the most common practice in the Church today, the new Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, restored
at the Second Vatican Council, offers us a more ancient vision. It reminds us of
the biblical connection between personal conversion and communal initiation. It
also restores the ancient unity of the three presently distinct
Sacraments of Initiation - Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.
By maintaining the validity of infant baptism while at the same time pointing to
the vision of the adult catechumenate, the Church powerfully communicates the degree
to which initiation should be viewed as a lifelong process worthy of such diverse
sacramental expression.
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Under normal circumstances adults not baptized in another Christian denomination
receive the sacrament of Baptism and the other sacraments of initiation as part
of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. This is usually done at the Easter
Vigil. (there are exceptions) Catechesis on all the sacraments of initiation, including
Baptism, should be part of their preparation.
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Children who are not baptized and who are of catechetical age, the age of discretion
or reason, receive the sacrament Baptism and the other sacraments of initiation
as part of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults adapted for children of catechetical
age. Normally this is done at the Easter Vigil. Catechesis on all the sacraments
of initiation, including Baptism, should be part of their preparation. (See Canon
852).
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Regarding the Baptism of infants and children under the age of five, since Baptism
is an expression of the faith of both the parents and the community, sacramental
catechesis must be provided for the parents and if possible to the godparents. They
should be provided with suitable means such as books, instructions and catechisms
written for families. Group preparation/catechesis is also an option.
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The pastor makes it his duty to visit with parents, or see that they are visited
as a family or as a group of families. If possible, the godparents participate in
the preparation/catechesis for the coming celebration.
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Every effort is to be made to highlight the fact that this is an important time
for families and for the parish family. Whenever possible, the baptismal rite is
celebrated on a Sunday with the community as well as with the family.
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The act of requesting Baptism for their child is in itself a sign of the parents’
faith. Therefore, parents are to be welcomed and shown appreciation by the minister
for approaching the Church for Baptism.
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Baptism of infants is normally celebrated within the first weeks after birth (Rite
of Baptism for Children, 8.3). However, when there is no “founded hope that the
infant will be brought up in the Catholic religion” (Canon 868.1), the sacrament
may be deferred until the parents are better disposed to fulfill their Christian
obligation.
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At least one parent should be baptized Catholic. The non-Catholic parent must be
willing to allow his/her child to be baptized in the Catholic Church. The sacrament
will not be celebrated if the non-Catholic parent expresses strong opposition because
the event of the sacrament would divide the family. In cases where there is opposition,
pastoral counseling will present options for future celebration of the sacrament
when conditions are more favorable.
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At least one godparent (sponsor) is necessary. A godparent must be Catholic, 16
years old and confirmed. There is to be only one male sponsor or one female sponsor
or one of each. (Canon 873 and 874).
The tradition of ethnic or national groups regarding godparents (padrinos) or involvement
of extended families is to be respected as long as it is not in violation of good
liturgical practice.
- Each parish in the Diocese of Shreveport is to establish a program of baptismal
catechesis for parents and godparents who are presenting their children for the
sacrament. This program of preparation is to correspond to these guidelines:
Not only is there a need for instruction after Baptism, but also for the
necessary flowering of baptismal grace in personal growth. (CCC 1231).
- The normal setting for the celebration of the sacrament is the parish church.
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Parents requesting Baptism of their child are ordinarily registered members of the
parish. With special permission of their pastor they may request Baptism in another
parish. If the pastor has delayed Baptism, no priest or deacon may baptize without
the permission of the Episcopal Vicar or Dean.
- The following are not to be made requirements for baptism of a child:
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The Baptism is to be properly recorded in the register of the parish in which the
sacrament is celebrated (Canon 875-878).
Special care must be taken with regard to emergency baptisms. These are to be recorded
in the parish in whose territory the baptism was administered and notification of
such a baptism containing all pertinent information must also be sent to the Chancery
of the diocese. All baptisms celebrated on a military installation must be recorded
at the Chancery of the Military Archdiocese.