St. James' Episcopal Church

Downingtown, Pa.

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You are here: Home / News / Spring 2017 Baptismal Class

Spring 2017 Baptismal Class

05/08/2017 by Beth

St James Church Spring 2017 Baptismal Class

St. James’ offered a Saturday morning class for parents and godparents on April 29th to prepare couples and loved ones for the Rite of Holy Baptism. The parish is excited to be offering four separate baptismal services throughout April, May and June. Baptism is the first of Jesus’ two great sacraments–the second being Communion–and it is the rite during which individuals are formally welcomed into the Christian family.

The Baptism class, led by Fr. John Symonds, concentrated on the liturgy of the rite, a brief history of church architecture and the overall role of the Church in one’s Christian life, and the great importance of community upbringing in the lives of the infants who are to be baptized. Eastertide is a perennial favorite time of many families for baptism. However, traditionally The Episcopal Church highlighted four specific feast days for baptism: Easter, Pentecost, All Saints’ Day, and The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ. These four dates are still advocated, but our denomination has become more responsive to offering Holy Baptism throughout the Church Year but not during penitential seasons.

For more information about the Rite of Holy Baptism and how one should go about considering this commitment for themselves or their child, please contact the Parish Office.
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409 E. Lancaster Ave
Downingtown, PA 19335
610-269-1774

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Monday – Thursday: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Friday: Closed

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stjameschurchdowningtown.com

About Saint James

There are a number of Saint Jameses in the New Testament – Saint James the brother of Jesus (‘St. James the Just’), Saint James the son of Zebedee (‘St. James the Great’) and Saint James the son of Alphaeus (‘St. James the Less’). The shells that adorn the outside of the parish hall (a symbol of St. James the Great) suggest that our parish is named for this St. James.

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This site was made possible by, and is dedicated to, the Loving Memory of Judy Dress.

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