Holy Baptism is the sacrament by which God adopts us as his children and makes us members of Christ's Body, the Church, and inheritors of the kingdom of God. --The Book of Common Prayer
Holy Baptism as a Sacrament
Holy Baptism is the highpoint of our worship and our life together. In the mystery of Holy Baptism, we believe that we actually die with Christ to sin and death, and we rise again to freedom and life eternal. When we baptize infants, it is the parents and sponsors (Godparents) who make promises on behalf of the child. When we baptize adults, the adult herself or himself renounces evil, affirms faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and joins in promising to uphold the faith of the Church.
In baptism Holy Water is poured over the head of the person being baptized. Then Holy Oil is poured on the person's head as the presence of the Holy Spirit is invoked and claimed for this new Christian. Then the newly baptized is clothed in a white garment, symboling forgiveness of sin and the hope of life eternal with the saints in heaven. Finally, a candle is give to the newly baptized, symboling that this person now shares in carrying the Light of Christ in to the world.
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Ms. Adriana Sween
The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divien
1047 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10025
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