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.
