Bridget Mary: Welcome. It is with great joy that we
join with Ann and Christopher to welcome their son Alexander and daughter
Amelie into the Christian community.
Bridget Mary: 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 these children grow in their understanding of
your infinite love as they learn the meaning of faith through service. May they
come to appreciate their responsible place as co-creators of their lives in
You. Amen.
(pause)
Bridget
Mary: Introduction to Rite of Baptism
The
Rite of Baptism begins with a statement of intent on the part of the parents
and godparents. The children are too young to speak for themselves, so their
parents and God parents speak for them.
BAPTISMAL RITE
Reception
of the Child
Bridget Mary: I invite parents and godparents to stand
together
Bridget Mary: (to the parents) Ann and Chris what do you ask of this Christian
Community?
Ann and We ask that our son Alexander and
our daughter Amelie be welcomed into the Christian community through the
sacrament of Baptism.
Bridget Mary: By asking for Baptism within the Christian
community, you are promising to teach your children 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?
Parents: We do.
Bridget Mary: (to the godparents)Jackie and Neelesh, do
you promise to help Ann and Christopher as they teach their children about the
Source of All Life and about Jesus, our brother?
Jackie and Neelish We do.
Baptismal Ritual
Bridget Mary : 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.
Ann: O Holy One, Source of all that is, we
experience your grace through sacramental signs, which tell us of your unseen
presence.
Christopher:At the dawn of creation, Your Spirit
breathed on the waters making them the wellspring of all holiness.
Godmother Jackie: 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.
Godfather Neelesh After the resurrection, the disciples of
Jesus celebrated baptism in water and the Spirit with those who answered Your
call to holiness.
Ann: From age to age, oil has been used to
anoint the priests, prophets, leaders and visionaries.
Bridget Mary: (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
Bridget Mary In this part of the baptismal ritual, Ann
and Chrisopher tmake baptismal promises
for their children. 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.
Bridget Mary: 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.
Bridget Mary: 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.
Bridget Mary: 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.
Bridget Mary: 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.
Bridget Mary: Parents and godparents, please bring the
children to the baptismal font.
Pouring of Water
Bridget Mary: (as the parents pour water over the
children’s head)
We baptize you, Alexander/ Amelie
- 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
Bridget Mary: (as parents anoint each child’s head))
Alexander/ Amelie 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, baptismal garment
Bridget
Mary: (as Godmother Jackie presents stoles) Alexander/Amelie, 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
Bridget Mary: (as Godfather lights each child’s candle from Parent’s
candle)Alexander/Amelia,
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
Bridget Mary: Please stand as we pray a blessing for
our newly baptized children
Cele
Ann: 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.
Christopher: 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.
Godmother Jackie: 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.
Godfather: 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.
Bridget
Mary: 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. (This blessing was written by Mary Anne Nolan Gianino for baptism of
daughter Sofia)
Presentation of Child to Community
Bridget Mary: (Parents and Godparents hold children up)) It is with great joy that we welcome Alexander
and Amelie to the Christian Community and extended family.
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