Baptism is that sacrament, through which man is grafted onto Christ and becomes a member of the People of God. This truth is clearly expressed in the new rites of infant baptism, reformed after the Second Vatican Council. They say about it, that baptism should be administered in such a place and time, so that more people can participate. Then not only godparents should be present, but also the parents of the child and the whole family, as well as relatives and friends and neighbors and other parishioners.
Godparents
Such people should be chosen as godparents for a child, who have already received the sacrament of baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist and belong to the Catholic Church. Therefore, these people must have the maturity to fulfill the tasks, which they take on.
The child's parents
Today, a child's parents play a more important role than godparents in baptismal ceremonies. Therefore, they should be present at the baptism of a child and carefully prepared to participate consciously in it. They then do the following :
- publicly ask for baptism for their child,
- the first, after the celebrant, to draw the sign of the cross of St.,
Satan replied (also on his own behalf),
- make a profession of faith,
- they carry the baby to the baptismal font,
- they are holding a lit candle,
- receive a special blessing at the end.
The time of baptism of St..
The most appropriate day for administering baptism to St.. it is Easter Eve or Sunday, because these days show more clearly the relationship of the sacrament of baptism. with the paschal mystery of Christ. The Church also encourages, that the baptism of St.. give during Holy Mass. If more children have been baptized on a given day, they should be baptized together, and not each one separately.
Place of baptism of St..
Baptism should be performed in the parish church, because he is the right place for the gathering of the People of God. The best would be, that there would be a chapel specially designed for this purpose and properly arranged at the church. If it could not accommodate all the participants, then the baptism of St.. can be given elsewhere in the church.
The general arrangement of the rites of baptism of St..
1. Preparation - which consists of : liturgy of the word, renunciation of Satan by the child's parents and godparents, solemn prayer of the celebrant over the background, confessions of faith by parents and godparents and questions addressed to them by the celebrant.
2. The administration of the sacrament of baptism. : made by immersing or pouring the child with water and invoking the Holy Trinity.
3. Completion of the baptism : - by the anointing with chrism, putting on a white robe, which the parents of the child brought with them, and lighting a candle, also brought by the parents.
Detailed course of the ritual activities of children's baptism
The rite of the adoption of children
celebrans, dressed in an alb or surplice and a stole or, moreover, in a white cope, he goes, assisted by altar boys, to the place, where parents and children are waiting for the baptism of St.. After greeting the gathered people, he asks about the names of the children, and then asks the parents a question, what the Church of God is asking for. They answer : for baptism, for faith, for the grace of Christ, etc.. Now the priest is asking the parents, whether they are assuming the responsibility of raising these children in Catholic. The godparents were asking, whether they are ready to help parents in fulfilling this obligation.
After receiving assurances from parents and godparents, the priest makes the sign of the cross on the forehead of each child. as an announcement of his belonging to the Christian community. The same is done by parents and godparents. Then everyone goes in procession to the church and it begins :
The liturgy of the word of God
Someone in the audience reads the word of God, the celebrant gives a short homily explaining the read text of the Holy Bible., and then they all pray silently for a while. Then, the common prayer is sung, adjusted to the individual needs of children and their families. After this prayer, the celebrant asks God to free these children from the power of Satan and places his hand on each child individually as a sign, that he takes them under the protection of the Church.
Celebrating teraz, parents and godparents approach the baptismal font with the child, and everyone else takes that place, to see the rest of the rites. This is where it begins :
The liturgy of the sacrament
The celebrant says a special prayer over the water, which it can partially change depending on this, or water for baptism. it was already consecrated on Holy Saturday, or not. The gathered people participate in this prayer by answering the summons.
Then the celebrant addresses the child's parents and godparents, to renounce their sin. They do this by answering three questions with words : We renounce ! Now the celebrant receives from them the profession of faith also in the form of answers to the questions posed.
After all these activities, only baptism takes place. Each family goes to the baptismal font and when asked : do they want, for their child to be baptized, they will answer : we want ! - the priest immerses the child three times or sprinkles it with water, while saying the words : „N., I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit ". The child should then be held by the mother or father. However, they can keep them instead of their parents, godparents. They also say aloud immediately after baptism : "Glory be to the Father…”
When all children are baptized in this way, the celebrant anoints the top of the child's head with the chrism of St.. In this way he integrates the newly baptized child into the community of the People of God and unites him with Christ, who is the Priest, Prophet and King.
Then he takes from his parents the white garments they have brought - a sign of sanctifying grace - and recites the prescribed prayer, it applies them to each child separately. Then the representatives of each family come up to the paschal candle one by one and light the candles that they have brought with them, and the celebrant instructs them, that they may keep God's light in the souls of their children.
The end of the rite of baptism.
If so far the godparents had children in their arms, now they are giving them back to their mothers. Everyone stands in the procession and with the lit candles going to the altar singing the appropriate song. Here the celebrant reminds the audience, that henceforth the child's life is linked to the Lord's altar and calls them to say no together : ,,our father…”Then he grants mothers and fathers of newly baptized infants a special blessing. He says four short prayers, which those gathered end with a word : „Amen”. The rite of a child's baptism ends with the singing of a thanksgiving song by those present.
