Abigail’s Baptism

It’s with great joy and hope that we bring Abigail into the faith and family through the Sacrament of Baptism! Her godparents, Katie and Kevin Gearns, could not be with us but they celebrated and prayed for Abby from the great state of MN. She is so blessed to have their faith as a witness and their petitions to Heaven on her behalf.

With JP we had a private ceremony after Mass with the Deacon at Our Lady of Victory. I LOVED the private Baptism because of the extended Scripture readings and the ability to take the whole thing slow and soak it up. This time we had Abby’s Baptism during Mass and, while I prefer the private ceremony, sharing this special moment with our new parish family was quite special. At Saint Francis, they elevate the beauty of this Sacrament and don’t simply go through the motions. Father takes his time to pray over and bless the babies at the beginning of Mass. As we went back to the Baptismal font in the back of the church, Father invited everyone to gather around instead of staying in their pews. As we processed out, we all sang the Litany of the Saints, asking them to pray for these babies from Heaven. Again, Father Tom took his time and made sure that we all understood and appreciated the meaning of this momentous occasion and the symbols that accompany Baptism. I loved this. As cradle Catholics, sometimes we miss these simple things because we think we know it already. And even if we know the faith well, it is an awesome opportunity to more deeply internalize the beauty and richness of our faith at each Baptism we witness.

Praying over and blessing Abigail Esther.

Abby is made new in Christ through the waters of Baptism. In this moment she is washed of all Original Sin!

In our Baptism, we are each anointed priest, prophet and king in Christ. Here Father Tom anoints Abigail.

The Light of Christ that dwells in Abby is symbolized through her Baptismal candle.

Father Tom carries around the new baby Christians and presents them to the Church, the family!

Basking in Christ’s Light in our child.

Abby, life in Christ is anything but boring! We are praying for you, daughter!

For more information on why Catholics baptize infants, click here.

oh and lest it be forgotten, JP, you received a big, fat F for Mass behavior that day. Holy frijoles. The pictures may fool the world but your crazy toddler screaming DURING the baptisms (and basically every sacred moment) shall be burned into the memory of all present. This is family life. Your sister will pay you back one day, of this I am sure.