“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28: 19-20).
Christian initiation is accomplished by three sacraments together: Baptism which is the beginning of new life; Confirmation which is its strengthening; and the Eucharist which nourishes the disciple with Christ’s Body and Blood for his or her transformation in Christ.
Baptism
Baptism is birth into the new life in Christ. In accordance with God’s will, it is necessary for salvation, as is the Church herself, which we enter by Baptism. The essential rite of Baptism consists in immersing the candidate in water or pouring water on his or her head, while pronouncing the invocation of the Most Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual sign, the character which consecrates the baptized person for Christian worship. Because of the character, Baptism cannot be repeated.
What does the sacrament do? Well, baptismal grace is a rich reality that includes forgiveness of original and all personal sins, making the person an adoptive child of the Father, a member of Christ’s body, and a temple of the Holy Spirit. By this very fact, the person baptized is incorporated into the Church, the Body of Christ, and made a sharer in His priesthood.
As Catholics, and since the earliest times, Baptism has been administered to children, for it is a grace and a gift of God that does not presuppose any human merit. Also, in case of necessity, any person can baptize provided that the person has the intention of doing that which the Church does and provided that the person pours water on the candidate’s head while saying, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
Any parents wishing to have their child baptized at St. Mary’s must contact Fr. McGrath.
For more information, please visit:
St. Mary’s Latin Mass Community 