Have you ever listened carefully to the first words of the baptismal ceremony? The priest or deacon says to the parents and godparents: “The Church shares your happiness at the birth of your child….This community rejoices with you….We offer you our support in raising your child in the practice of the faith.”

Have you looked around the room and wondered “Where is this ‘Church’ the priest is talking about? Where is this ‘rejoicing community’? Who is the ‘we’ who promises such support? Usually at a baptism a few people are actually members of the parish community. Many come from other places. Some have no religious affiliation at all. “The Church” seems to be almost absent (except for the deacon or priest). Let’s remember the lesson clearly spoken by Vatican II: The Church isn’t just the priest or the deacon.

The Church is the whole people of God—lay faithful and clergy. So, really, baptisms should happen with the Church present, right? Isn’t that what the words imply? If the rite speaks truth, where should we—people of God at St. Lawrence and St. Boniface Parishes—be moving? How do we invite the Church to truly share the happiness, to truly rejoice with parents, and to offer meaningful support to the faith development of their children? Shouldn’t we be baptizing during Mass? (After all, we’d almost never baptize an adult privately—we’d bring a grownup to the longest and most involved Liturgy of the year, the Easter Vigil, for a joyful welcome into the Catholic community!)

Bottom line: here’s the change. Baptism at Mass on Saturday or Sunday will become our normal practice. You can choose the Mass you want. We’ll make sure you get where you need to be during the ceremony. Occasionally they’ll be an exception—when a family member’s health won’t allow them to participate in a 45-minute rite when a baptism is done by a family member or friend who is a deacon or priest from another parish. But, the norm will be parents truly introducing their children to the Church, the Catholic community that will joyfully support them in guiding their child’s faith journey.