Baptism

Congratulation on the birth of your baby. The Christian Community in the Wicklow, Ashford & KBB parishes welcomes you to this celebration of Baptism especially the parents, godparents, relatives, neighbours and friends.

For you as parents, and for your child, this is a very important and happy day. It is also a day of CELEBRATION for the Christian Community in our Parish.

In celebrating the Baptism of your child, parents, godparents, and all of us, take on an important commitment: we promise to help your Child to grow in Christian Faith.

We also share the task of making our society more human and more Christian so that your child who is baptised may have the support they need to grow as a mature Christian.

The symbols used in the celebration of Baptism are joyful and helpful. We use words with gestures, sound, touch, water, oil, garments and light. These are signs of the importance which the Church places on this event today.

White Shawl

The White Garment wrapped around your child is a sign that the child is ‘Clothed in Christ’. It is a sign of one’s Dignity as a new Christian – a dignity one is called to. “Christians are called to show Christ to the world by how they live.”

Candle

The Baptism Candle: – lit from the Easter candle is a symbol of the Light of Christ which will shine on and through your child for life. ‘You are the light of the world”. The candle may be lit at Birthdays, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage – so each child should have their own Baptism Candle.

Prayer over the Ears and Mouth

Jesus once met a man who could not talk or hear. He prayed over him touched his mouth and ears and he was healed. We pray this child will hear the Word of God as he grows up, and put it into practice.

Becoming Christ like

How do we live out the full implications of being a son or daughter of the Father, a brother or sister of Jesus Christ, a temple in which the Holy Spirit dwells? It is the attempt to do precisely this that is the striving for holiness. It is our task to become more Christ-like, more sensible to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Increasingly we must so resemble Christ that the Father can say of us: ‘This is My beloved Son, or this is My beloved daughter; in him, in her, I am well pleased”. (Cardinal Basil Hume).

To be a Godparent one must be over 16 years of age, have made one’s Confirmation and ideally should be a practicing Catholic. You need one Godparent but can have two. If you do have two – one should be male and the other female.

Being a Godparent means:

• to accompany your Godchild on their way, to discover the wonders of the world together with them, to be their friend, whenever they need a person who has got time to play, to talk or just to be there.
• to bear witness of what it means to live a Christian life, of the reliability and the security of faith, of the endeavor to be good, of how to deal with weakness, failure and guilt, of forgiveness offered and received.
• to pray for your Godchild and together with them be a friend for life.

In Baptism your child becomes a friend of Jesus – gets a share in his Life – and is introduced into the life of the Christian Community. Baptism is a gift and a task. The different parts of the ceremony highlights this.

Welcoming

Everyone is welcomed by the Priest, representing the Christian Community, the Church. Baptism is the Door to God’s life and the life of the Church. “What Name do you give your child?” – each child is unique and special and has its own name.

The parents are reminded of their responsibility of bringing up their child “in the practise of the faith”. The baby is greeted – not with a handshake – but with the Sign of the Cross the child is being Christened – marked for life by Christ.

The Word of God

We listen to the Word of God which tells us what it means to be baptised, gives us direction on our journey and speaks to us about Christian Living.

Anointing

To grow in friendship with Jesus we need to say NO to evil and YES to all that is good during life. We need strength and courage to do this. In the anointing with the Oil of Catechumens your child is strengthened with the Power of Christ. Parents are reminded that they too must help their child to grow in faith, so, this is also a time for Renewing your own Christian Commitment.

Baptism

Water is the symbol of life it helps things to grow, makes things clean. Being baptised with Water signifies the life of Christ given to your child. It reminds us your child is beginning to grow in friendship with Jesus.

Worshipping

The baptised baby is now a Christian and is anointed with the Oil of Chrism. ‘Christ’ means ‘anointed one’. Each Christian has the special task of living as a friend of Jesus, in the Church:  praying – giving good example by word and deed – loving, caring, sharing, helping. Celebrating the other Sacraments especially the Eucharist helps us in this, the Glory of God is people living like Jesus.

These all apply to infants or children under eight years of age being baptised in the Parish. Older children or adults need to go through a Baptism programme and details can be obtained from one of the priests.

For a Baptism , you will need to:

• Give at least four weeks’ notice
• Attend one of the Monthly Baptism meetings in order to get the booking form and available dates.
• Fill out the Baptismal Form and return to the Parish Office
• Bring a copy of the Birth Certificate to the Office so the Birth and Baptismal Certificate have the same information on them
• Attend the Baptism Preparation Course with the Parish Baptism team – which is important to help both the parents and God parents prepare for the important responsibility that they are undertaking and also to be aware of and understand what is happening at the ceremony
• The names of the Godparents (see guidelines above).
• A contactable Telephone Number
• A White Shawl
• A Baptismal Candle
• Should you not be able to attend on the Appointed day please ring and inform the Secretary in the Office
• An envelope for an Offering to the Church will be provided, please return with the booking form
• Only 4 Babies will be Baptised on any given day