Rite of
Baptism
Sofia Elizabeth
Gianino
May 27, 2017
2:30 PM
WELCOME
Mary Theresa: Welcome. It is with great joy that we join with Mary Anne and Rob to
welcome their daughter Sofia into the Christian community. Sofia was born on November
19, 2016 at 7:32 PM, and a day later, Mary Ann, Rob and Sofia began their life
as a family. Today, we formally welcome Sofia to the Christian Community
through the sacrament of Baptism.
Mary Theresa: Let us begin our ceremony with a prayer to the Source of all Life.
O Holy One, you continually
remind us that you love your creation by sending us brand new possibilities in
the form of daughters and sons.
May Sofia grow in her understanding of your infinite love as she learns
the meaning of faith through service. May she come to appreciate her
responsible place as co-creator of her life in You. Amen.
(pause)
Mary Theresa: Introduction to Rite of Baptism
The Rite of Baptism begins with a statement of
intent on the part of the parents and godparents. Sofia is too young to speak
for herself, so Sofia’s parents, Mary Ann and Rob and her godparents, Tricia
and Billy, speak on her behalf.
BAPTISMAL RITE
Reception of the Child
Mary Theresa: I invite Mary Anne, Rob and Sofia to stand with Tricia and Billy.
Mary Theresa: (to the parents) Mary Anne and Rob, what do you ask of this Christian Community?
Mary Anne and Rob: We ask that our daughter, Sofia, be welcomed into the Christian
community through the sacrament of Baptism.
Mary Theresa: By asking for Baptism within the Christian community, you are
promising to teach Sofia to live justly, to love tenderly and to walk with
integrity for all to see and celebrate. You are promising to teach her about
her brother, Jesus, and his message of love. Do you promise to do this to the best of your ability?
Mary Anne and Rob: We do.
Mary Theresa: (to the godparents) Tricia and Billy, do you promise to help Mary
Anne and Rob as they teach Sofia about the Source of All Life and about Jesus,
our brother?
Tricia and Billy: We do.
Baptismal Ritual
Mary Theresa: In our ritual today, we use many sacramental symbols and signs. We continue
the baptismal ritual with a blessing of the water and the oil.
Mary Anne: O Holy One, Source of all that is, we experience your grace through
sacramental signs, which tell us of your unseen presence.
Rob: At the dawn of creation, Your Spirit breathed on the waters making
them the wellspring of all holiness.
Tricia: The water of the Red Sea, through which our ancestors traveled, is a
symbol of our liberation from all that holds us captive. In the waters of the
Jordan River, our brother Jesus was baptized by his cousin, John, and anointed
with your Spirit.
Billy: After the resurrection, the disciples of Jesus celebrated baptism in
water and the Spirit with those who answered Your call to holiness.
Mary Anne: From age to age, oil has been used to anoint the priests, prophets,
leaders and visionaries.
Mary Theresa: (to all present) Please extend
your hands in blessing the water and oil .
O Holy One, you call us to
be co-creators of a world filled with blessing and abundance. As co-creators
with you, we bless this water and oil as a symbol of your grace filled presence
in our community. (pause)
Baptismal Promises
Mary Theresa: In this part of the baptismal ritual, Mary Anne and Rob make baptismal
promises for Sofia. I invite anyone who wishes to renew their baptismal
promises to respond, “I do,” to each of the following:
Do you promise to see what
is good for your sisters and brothers everywhere, rejecting injustice and
inequity, living with the freedom and responsibility of children of God?
All: I do.
Mary Theresa: Do you promise to work for the realization of God’s vision of harmony
and right relations among all peoples, rejecting the idols of money, property,
color, sex and position?
All: I do.
Mary Theresa: Do you promise to seek peace
and live in peace in one human family, rejecting prejudice and half-heartedness
in every form, and all barriers to unity?
All: I do.
Mary Theresa: Do you promise to cherish
the universe, and this precious planet, working creatively to renew and
safeguard the elemental sacraments of air, earth, water and fire?
All: I do.
Mary Theresa: Do you believe in the Holy
One, the Source of all life, in Jesus, our brother who loved and lived among us
so that all might live with abundant fullness; in the breath of the Holy One’s
center, the Spirit who continues the work of forgiveness and reconciliation,
birthing and blessing, challenge and hope, so that together we can continue the
work of creation?
All: I do.
Mary Theresa: Mary Anne, Rob, Tricia and Billy, please bring Sofia to the baptismal
font.
Pouring of Water
Mary Theresa: (as Mary Anne and Rob pour
water over Sofia’s head)
We baptize you, Sofia
-
in the name of our God who
is the Source of all life,
-
in the name of our God
revealed in Jesus, our brother, and in our own humanity,
-
in the name of our God whose
Spirit invites and inspires us as co-creators. Amen.
Anointing with Oil
Mary Theresa: (as Mary Anne and Rob anoint
Sofia’s forehead)
Sofia, you were created in
love and welcomed to life with love. We anoint you with this oil in recognition
that human love is sacred, that you are sacred.
Presentation of Stole
Mary Theresa: (as Tricia places stole on Sofia) Sofia, we present you with
this stole. May it remind you that you carry in the depths of your being the
Spirit of Life and Love itself.
Lighting Candle
MARY THERESA: (as Billy lights Sofia’s
candle from Mary Anne and Rob’s candle) Sofia, may
this candle remind you of Jesus, who opened peoples’ minds and hearts to see
the “light” of God’s presence within them.
Final Blessing
MARY THERESA: Please stand as we pray a blessing for Sofia.
SOFIA'S BLESSING
by Mary Anne
Nolan Gianino
Tricia: May the Spirit of Air inspire you to see the world through fresh,
open eyes, to be a soulful visionary, and to lend optimism and hope to all you
encounter.
Billy: May the Spirit of Fire
transform all you touch with Light, and grant you courage and protection as you
go forth in your Divine Life Mission.
Mary Anne: May the Spirit of Water bring you purity in body, mind, and spirit to
nurture you as you nurture others, to support your inner knowing and intuition
as you navigate the seen and unseen worlds.
Rob: May the Spirit of Earth grant you wisdom as you seek Divine Truth,
Integrity of thought and action, and fortify you with the strength you need to
shine your Divine Light in the physical world as only you can.
Mary Theresa: And May you always remember, the Source of All lives as a Divine
Spark within you to inspire, renew, and uplift you and all that you meet along
your journey. Amen.
Presentation of Child to
Community
Mary Theresa: (Mary Anne and Rob lift Sofia
and present her to the community) It is with
great joy that we welcome Sofia Elizabeth to the Christian Community and
extended family.
Revised Baptismal Rite created by Mary Theresa Streck, ARCWP. Parts of the ceremony were adapted from Michael Morwood's courageous publication, Children Praying a New Story.
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