Welcome to the Parish of Porth Newydd

The Parish of Porth Newydd

Baptism (or otherwise known as Christening)

A few questions about Baptism/Christening

Do you know the date of your Baptism?

Do you know the date of your Confirmation?

Do you know the date when you made a special Reaffirmation of your Baptismal Vows?

Do you celebrate these days as special events in your life, just as much as you celebrate your birthday and any other anniversaries?

Do you come to Mass to give thanks to God for your Baptism and Confirmation?

If you don't think your baptism and confirmation are important, don't you think you should?

In our Baptism God has made us very special to him.

In our baptism we, who are very special to God, are:
Priveleged to participate in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
gifted the Holy Spirit
made members of the Body of Christ - the community of the Holy Spirot, catholoc and apostolic Church.
made participators in the nourishment of the eucharist
equipped to share in God's mission in the world.

God has given is a wonderful gift in our Baptism.

Baptism is the beginning of a journey - a journey of faith.

In Baptism God takes us and makes us one of His children. We become a member of the Church.
Baptism is a proof that God truly loves us. He reaches out to us and helps us journey with him for the whole of our earthly life, so that we may also be with him after our death.
Baptism is not just for children, and although this is written for parents, adults are baptised too.
But adults are only baptised when they have been regularly worshipping with the Church for some months, and have undergone a period of instruction.

What is Baptism?

In Baptism, you as parents are thanking God for his gift of life. You are deciding to start your child on the journey of faith, and asking for the Church's support.

In relation to your child, baptism marks the start of a journey of faith. This journey involves turning away from the darkness of self-centredness, and turning towards Christ and becoming a member of the local and worldwide Christian family.

Baptism is a 'sacrament': a visible sign of God's love. In baptism, we are thanking God for his gift of life and publicly acknowledging his love. We are acknowledging that we all need to turn away from the darkness of evil and to make a new start with God.

People often say that Baptism gives them a feeling of cleansing. Did you know the word ‘baptism’ comes from the Greek word meaning to dip or immerse in water. During the service the priest will pour water over the person being baptized or plunge them under it. This is symbolic to show that Christ washes away a person’s sins and gives them a new fresh start.

Baptism also makes people feel as though they have a sense of identity, and even an act of belonging. Baptism is a sign that a person belongs to God’s Family.

The Service

At the beginning of the service the parents and godparents are told what the church expects of them. Each child must be taught

to worship on Sundays
to know the Lord's Prayer and the Commandments of the Lord
to read the Holy Bible.

In Baptism the parents and godparents make three decisions for the child:

to reject evil
to repent of sin
to turn to Christ

They also make three decisions announcing clearly that they

believe in God, who made the world
believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead
believe that God sends his Holy Spirit to us all to help us in our daily lives as we try to live as Christians

Godparents

The godparents you choose for your child must be at least 16 years of age
They must be Christians, and so they must be baptised. It is best if they are people who already worship in church, because they will be able to encourage their godchild to worship Sunday by Sunday.
You must have one godfather and one godmother

If you want to arrange a Baptism please contact The Reverend Chris Coles Telephone

In St John's church on 24th April, 6 Adults were Baptised - Click HERE to see the pictures

and also on 1st May, a brother and sister were also Baptised- Click HERE to see the pictures