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Catholic Baptisms

rituals 2018-19 : Baptisms - QuinceaÑeras - Weddings - Funerals : past events

Email: ariostocoelho@yahoo.com - Phone: 650-952-9456

Fr. Coelho is available to conduct Rituals or chant Prayers in any suitable location

[Se habla Español, Italiano, Português, French, Latin, Sanskrit, Hindi, Konkani and English.]

A RITE OF WELCOMING to Fullness of Life in

a Family of Love, a Community of Faith, a World of Hope

based on the White Robed Benedictine Rite of Baptism

by The Rev. Fr. Ariosto Coelho, Ph.D.

Part I. NAMED AND CALLED TO A FAMILY OF LOVE

In the _____________ -_____________ Family

A. Welcome

[Priest welcomes All present to celebrate this Rite of Welcoming]

Priest to Parents: And what is to be the name of this child?

Parents: The name of our child is ___________________.

Priest: Oh God of our mothers and fathers, especially Abraham and Sarah, preserve this child to his mother and father, and let his/her name be called ___________________.

son/daughter of _____________and _____________

paternal grand son/daughter of _____________ and ______________,

maternal grand son/daughter of _____________ and ______________.

Creator of the Universe! May it be Thy will, that this be regarded, accounted and accepted as this child's heart be wise and open for Thy Holy Land in this family. May s/he learn and teach, keep and fulfill Thy Law. May this child become great, loving, generous and kind, and succeed at all s/he sincerely sets out to achieve.

All: With the sanction of Thy Law, pure and clear, which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded us to be a heritage, we give You thanks: Blessed be the Lord.

Priest to Parents and Grandparents: Is there any significance why this child is called _____________ in this family?

Parents and/or Grandparents Respond: …

B. Blessing

Priest blesses the child: ___________________, God make you as Ephraim and Manasseh. The Lord bless you and keep you: make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord turn his face unto you and give you peace. For length of days, and years of life and peace shall they add to you. The Lord shall guard you from all evil; he shall guard your soul.

All: Amen.

Part 2. A NEW BEGINNING WITHIN A COMMUNITY OF FAITH

With _____________and _____________as godparents

C. Reception

Priest to Parents: What do you ask of God's Church for this Child?

Parents: Initiation in a Catholic Community of Faith.

Priest: You have asked to have your child to be initiated in a Catholic Community of Faith. In doing so you are accepting the responsibility of educating him/her in the practice of the law of compassion. It will be your duty to bring him/her up to keep God's commandments –specifically, to “love God and neighbor as oneself.” Do you understand what you are undertaking?

Parents: We do.

Priest to Godparents: Are you ready to help the parents of this Child, in their duty as compassionate parents?

Godparents: We are.

Priest: May the God of Mercy bless the Parents, Grandparents, Godparents, and this Community of Faith. May we be worthy to raise and initiate _____________in the precepts of the Law of Compassion and Wisdom. May the Lord God be with us.

All: Amen.

D. A First Reading: “Many members, One body”

Reader: A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians

The body is one and has many members, but all the members, many though they are, are one body; and so it is with Christ. It was in one Spirit that all of us, whether Jew or Greek, slave or free, were baptized into one body. All of us have been given to drink of the one Spirit. This is the word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

E. A Response: “Come to Him and receive His light!”

Leader: Please repeat “Come to Him and receive His light!”

All: Come to Him and receive His light!

Leader: I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. Let my soul glory in the Lord; the lowly will hear me and be glad.

All: Come to Him and receive His light!

Leader: Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. Taste and see how good the Lord is; happy the person who takes refuge in him.

All: Come to Him and receive His light!”

F. A Gospel Reading: “Love – the greatest commandment”

Priest: May the Lord be with you.

All: And with your spirit.

Priest: A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.

All: Glory be to you, O Lord.

Priest: One of the Pharisees, a lawyer, in an attempt to trip Jesus up asked him, "Teacher, which commandment of the law is the greatest." Jesus said to him: "You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments the whole is based, and the law of the prophets as well." This is the Gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise be to you Lord Jesus Christ

Part 3. IN A WORLD FILLED WITH HOPE

Free from Illusion, Allusion and Delusion

G. Renunciation of Delusion and Profession of Faith:

Priest to Godparents and Parents: You have come here to present this child for baptism. By water and the Holy Spirit, s/he is to receive the gift of spiritual life from God, who is love. On your part, you must make it your constant care to bring _____________ up in the practice of compassion. See that the divine life which God gives him grows always stronger in his/her heart. If your compassion makes you ready to accept this responsibility, renew now the vows of your own baptism.

Priest: 1. Do you reject delusions, false beliefs, remembering and accepting instead your own true nature as a child of God created by the Loving Father who is also a Mother?

Godparents/parents together: I do.

Priest: 2. Do you reject illusions, false perceptions, remembering instead that you are the creator of your own perceptions being a child of God redeemed by Jesus Christ - the Resurrected One?

Godparents/parents together: I do.

Priest: 3. Do you reject allusion, false stories about yourself, and accepting instead the absolute reality of your natural love and compassion as a child of God led the Holy Spirit of Wholeness?

Godparents/parents together: I do.

H. Intercessions

Priest: My brothers and sisters, let us ask the Lord to look lovingly on this child who is to be baptized, on his/her Parents and Godparents, and all who live the Law of Compassion.

Leader: Lord, by your compassion, bathe this child in light, give him/her the new life of baptism and welcome him/her as your child and an heir of Heaven under the patronage of St. _____________.

All: Lord, hear our prayer.

Leader: May our lives and the lives of his Parents and Godparents be examples of compassionate love to inspire this child.

All: Lord, hear our prayer.

Leader: May this child inspire us to be trusting, innocent and playful in a carefree and peaceful world filled with faith, hope and love.

All: Lord, hear our prayer.

I. Cleansing and First Anointing

Priest anoints Child with Oil of Catechumens: Almighty and ever living God, we pray for this child: set him/her free from illusion, allusion and delusion and make him/her a temple of your glory and send your Holy Spirit of Innocence to dwell with him/her.

All: Amen.

J. Blessing of the Baptismal Water

Priest: My sisters and brothers, we now ask God to give this child new life in abundance through water and the Holy Spirit.

- Father, you give us grace through sacramental signs, which tell us of the wonders of your unseen power.

- In baptism we use your gift of water, which you have made a rich symbol of the grace you give us in this sacrament.

- At the very dawn of creation your Spirit breathed on the waters, making them the wellspring of holiness.

- Through the waters of the Red Sea you led Israel out of slavery, to be an image of God's holy people, set free from delusion by baptism.

- In the waters of the Jordan your Son was baptized by John and anointed with the Spirit.

- After his resurrection he told his disciples: "Go out and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

+ By the power of the Spirit give to the water of this font the grace of your Son. - You created humans in your own likeness: cleanse them from delusion in a new birth of innocence by water and the Spirit.

Priest lowers Easter Candle into water and continues: We ask you, Father, with your Son to send the Holy Spirit upon the waters of this font. May all who are with the Lord rise also with him to newness of life.

All. Amen.

Part 4. ON A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY TO FULLNESS OF LIFE

Like Christ Anointed Priest, Prophet and King

K. I baptize you in the name of the + Trinity

Priest to Parents and Godparents: Is it your will that _____________ should be baptized in compassion?

Parents and Godparents: It is.

Priest baptizes child, saying: _____________, I baptize you in the name of + the Father, and of + the Son, and of + the Holy Spirit. Amen.

L. Like Christ you are now anointed Priest, Prophet and King

Priest anoints _____________ with the Oil of Chrism and says: God the Father has freed you from delusion, given you new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and welcomed you into his holy people. He now anoints you with the chrism of salvation. As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet, and King, so may you live always as a member of his body, sharing everlasting life.

All: Amen.

M. Now, wear Christ’s Garment of Innocence

Priest says: _____________, you have become a new creation, and have clothed yourself in Compassion. See in this white garment the outward sign of your dignity as a disciple of Christ. With your family and friends to help you by word and example, may you awaken the dignity that is already yours as a child of God.

All: Amen.

N. May you walk always with the Light of Christ

Priest hands Godfather a lit baptismal candle and says: Receive the Light of Compassion. Parents and Godparents, this light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly. This child of yours has been enlightened with Wisdom and Compassion. S/he is to walk always as a child of the light. May he keep the flame of compassion alive in his/her heart.

All: Amen.

O. Henceforth, may you hear and speak God’s Word - Truth

Priest touches/opens the ears and mouth (Ephphetha) of child with his thumb and says: The Lord has made the deaf hear and the mute speak. May he now touch your ears to receive his word and your mouth to proclaim the law of love and compassion truthfully, to the praise and glory of God the Father.

All: Amen.

Priest blesses _____________’s mother: God the Father, through his Son, the Virgin Mary's Child, has brought joy to all Christian mothers, as they see the hope of eternal life shine on their children. May he bless the mother of this child. She now thanks God for the gift of her child.

All: Amen.

Priest blesses _____________’s father: God is the giver of life, human and divine. May he bless the father of this child. He and his wife will be the first teachers of their child in the ways of compassion. May he and his wife be also the best of teachers, bearing witness to the law of compassionate love by what they say and do.

All: Amen.

Priest blesses All: By God's gift, through water and the Holy Spirit, we are reborn to everlasting life. In his goodness, may he continue to pour out his blessings upon these sons and daughters of his. May he make them always, wherever they may be, compassionate members of his holy people. May he send his peace and compassion upon all who are gathered here.

All: Amen.

Priest: May the all-compassionate God, + the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit bless us all.

All: Amen.

Priest: This Baptismal Ceremony is complete. Let us go in peace and serve the Lord with gladness.

All: Amen.

____________

A quote from St. Gregory of Nazianzus (329-374AD) in The Catechism of the Catholic Church. 1992.

“We call it the Gift, because it is given to us in return for nothing on our part; Grace, because it is conferred even on debtors; Baptism, because sin is buried with it in the water; Unction, as Priestly and Royal, for such were they who were anointed; Illumination, because of its splendor; Clothing, because it hides our shame; the Laver, because it washes us; the Seal because it preserves us, and is moreover the indication of Dominion. In it the heavens rejoice; it is glorified by Angels, because of its kindred splendor. It is the image of the heavenly bliss.” [Oratio 40, 4]