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Baptism

The word baptism in its origins is Greek and means "immersion" and "bath." Immersion in water is a sign of death and emersion out of the water means new life. To bathe in water is also to undergo cleansing.

 

The origin and foundation of Christian Baptism is Jesus. Before starting his public ministry, Jesus submitted himself to the baptism given by John the Baptist. The waters did not purify him; he cleansed the waters.

 

"He comes to sanctify the Jordan for our sake . . . to begin a new creation through the Spirit and water"

(St. Gregory Nazianzen, Liturgy of the Hours, I, 634)

 

Jesus' immersion in the water is a sign for all human beings of the need to die to themselves to do God's will. Jesus did not need to be baptized because he was totally faithful to the will of his Father and free from sin. However, he wanted to show his solidarity with human beings in order to reconcile them to the Father. By commanding his disciples to baptize all nations, he established the means by which people would die to sin—Original and actual—and begin to live a new life with God.

Preparation

Baptism seminars are offered with St. Paul Church one Wednesday evening in January, March, May, September, and November. The next session dates will be announced here soon. They are 6:30-8:30pm using the Zoom platform to make it easier on parents and godparents. Parents intending to have their child baptized must attend a baptism preparation session with the godparents. There are also three videos on Formed.org that need to be watched prior to the session (see below).

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To register for a seminar, please contact Maria Grove at 410-465-1670 or maria.grove@archbalt.org.

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To schedule your child's baptism, please contact Alice Appleby at 410-645-4016 or email aappleby@archbalt.org.

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For more information or if you have questions, please contact Kate Kleintank at 410-989-6156 or kkleintank@res-ec.org

Instructions to get an account on formed.org

1. Click "sign up"

2. Click "Sign up as a parishioner"

3. Search using "St. Paul Ellicott City" &

    Click "St. Paul 3755 St Paul St, Ellicott City MD"

4. Type your name and email address

5. Go to email, open message from formed.org            then click "Sign in Now" (for every device you          open formed on, you will need to do this step.

Reborn Videos to watch to prepare for prep session

  • Session 1 - A New Creation: The Mystery of Baptism (39.33 minutes)​

  • Session 2 -  Entering the Mystery: The Rite Explained (24.36 minutes)

  • Session 3 - Nurturing the Life of Grace: Called to Mission (25.30 minutes)

  • Optional Session 4 - The Gift of Godparents: More than Cards & Presents (38 minutes)

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