Baptism

Baptism is the sacrament which initiates a person into the Christian Community, making them children of God and members of the local parish. In it, we celebrate God’s love for us and are affirmed as followers of Christ.

The central role in passing on faith belongs to parents/guardians. It is they who will be the role models of faith for their children. It is in the home that children need to learn and experience trust, love, faith, hope and commitment for their faith to grow.

The decision to baptise a child carries with it responsibilities that will last long after the celebration is over. Therefore a key question for parents is “Why do I want my child baptised?” Baptism is a sacrament, a graced moment in which we meet God, and the decision to celebrate the sacrament deserves careful consideration.

In the early days of the Christian Church, only adults were baptised. Eventually, the practice of infant Baptism grew up and we in Ireland are more familiar with this practice. In recent years, we have seen adults come forward asking for Baptism and there have been a number of adults baptised in our parish recently.

In Baptism, God gives us the gift of new life. We become his sons and daughters and belong to Christ. The child/adult is anointed with oil as a sign of being strengthened and being chosen by God. The pouring of water over the person’s head reminds us of the cleansing and life-giving power of God’s love which is literally being poured out.

In requesting Baptism for their children, parents are accepting certain responsibilities concerning the faith formation of their children. Faith needs to be nurtured in order for it to grow; one way of doing this is to introduce the child to the regular practice of the faith.