St. Anthony of padua
B APTISMA L P R E PA R ATI O N P RO GRA M Fortifying
T
he greatest gifts our Catholic Church has to offer come to us in the sacraments. With the Sacraments of Initiation — Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation — we are welcomed into the Church, receiving the abundant graces of God and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. What a joyous occasion it is, then, each time we can witness an infant or young child
being brought into the Church with the Sacrament of Baptism! “Baptism means that the child is cleansed of original sin, and it also imparts the unique graces that come along with the sacrament,” says Deacon Harry Cramer. “It also brings the child into the Church as a child of God, so we see that beautiful trifecta effect of Baptism. It’s such a beautiful sacrament.”
Deacon Harry, who leads the baptismal preparation classes here at St. Anthony of Padua, also recognizes the importance of a child’s Baptism in the faith life of the parents. “I love preparing parents for the Baptism because I see it as an opportunity to do some catechesis for them, too,” he says. “We focus on what the sacrament means for the child being baptized, but we also spend time talking about what it means to parent a child in the Catholic faith. Your child is going to learn how to live God’s call to them by watching what you do. It goes beyond church attendance — your child is going to learn from you how to disagree, how to reach out to others that are hurting, how to forgive and ask forgiveness. As you prepare your child to be baptized, you have to take a look at the way you’re living your faith and whether there are any changes you need to make.”
"Your child is going to learn how to live God’s call to them by watching what you do. It goes beyond church attendance — your child is going to learn from you how to disagree, how to reach out to others that are hurting, how to forgive and ask forgiveness. As you prepare your child to be baptized, you have to take a look at the way you’re living your faith and whether there are any changes you need to make." — DEACON HARRY CRAMER 4
