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Saint Joseph - Hessen Cassel

Fort Wayne, Indiana

 
 

Baptism


In preparation for your child’s baptism, Fr. Bill will have instructional meetings once a month. This prep meeting is for those parents who have not attended Baptism preparation within the last 3-4 years or who have never attended the instructional meeting. You only need to attend one session and you do not have to wait until your baby is born. This will give you the opportunity to have all of your questions answered, inform you of any requirements, as well as refresh your understanding of the sacrament. The Baptismal Preparation meetings are generally held on the third or fourth Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM in the Community Room. Please call the parish office at 639-3748 if you plan on attending.

“Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: ‘Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word.”

Catechism of the Catholic Church 1213

The first of the Sacraments of Initiation is the Sacrament of Baptism.  In Baptism God accomplishes several wondrous acts in the life of the newly baptized.

First, the baptized is freed from the effects of sin.  The alienation from God caused by original sin is overcome.  If the person has committed any personal sins they are also washed away.

Second, the heavenly Father recreates the newly baptized in the image of His only Son and adopts the person as His own son or daughter.  The Father gifts the person with His very own life thus establishing a new relationship with the baptized which is called sanctifying grace.

Third, the newly baptized is made a member of the Father’s family, the Church.  Because the person is now a member of the Church, he now shares in the mission of the Church: to be a priest (to offer one’s life in sacrifice to the Father), to be a prophet (to always live according to God’s word), and to be a servant-king (to live as Jesus did by serving others).

All of this is accomplished in Baptism through incorporation into the Death and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ caused through the washing with water and the action of the Holy Spirit.

The newly baptized is called to live in the new life of grace through the rejection of sin and growing in the life of faith.