Baptisms During the Mass

[Kielbasi]

For all the talk about being “open to life” it sure doesn’t seem that way when spending an extra few minutes to welcome a new child is too much of an inconvenience!!!(

I don’t think its “inconvenient”, but just oftentimes pretty disrupting.

If you would consider the fact that seeing their little nephew or grandchild get baptized will keep the aunts and grandmothers away from their own parish churches on Sunday morning.

The parking and other logistics problems that this kind of policy might cause, so that the congregation at the 11 o’clock mass can see the child of a stranger get baptized.

It just seems more efficient to have it as a separate event for most people.

 

[ConfusedLucy]

I think in an ideal world we would all live in tight knit Catholic communities, family members (who would all be practicing Catholics) wouldn’t have to move away and our friends and family would always significantly overlap with our fellow parishioners.

Sadly that isn’t a realistic aspiration for most of us and I think it’s sensible for churches to take this into account when making these decisions.

 

[ktmeyer]

I don’t think its “inconvenient”, but just oftentimes pretty disrupting.

If you would consider the fact that seeing their little nephew or grandchild get baptized will keep the aunts and grandmothers away from their own parish churches on Sunday morning.

The parking and other logistics problems that this kind of policy might cause, so that the congregation at the 11 o’clock mass can see the child of a stranger get baptized.

It just seems more efficient to have it as a separate event for most people.

Yes, life is disrupting! Children are disruptive, for sure! But the Church says we should promote life, and again, if we tell women that they should avoid contraception and be open to life, don’t you think that’s way more disruptive to their life than the extra 10-15 minutes in Mass is to yours? And seriously, we are talking about a sacrament, and you are discussing parking? Not to mention, you say the child of a stranger, as if that matters? Again, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all one family. That “stranger” is part of your family. Besides, isn’t how we treat the stranger one of the ways we are judged by God?

Again, if the Church is going to preach a culture of life, that’s more than a yearly march or prayer vigil. It means an actual culture of life, which is a culture that is welcoming and loving towards babies and families. Saying the initiation of one of those babies is less important to the parish than making it to coffee hour on time or having to walk a bit further for parking is NOT a culture of life.

Life is messy. Life is hard. Life is crying babies and delayed plans and spit up on your best shirt. Parishes that embrace this will be the ones that grow.

Any parish that felt babies were a disruption to the mass rather than part of the family would be a parish I’d never set foot in. Same with the other Catholic mothers I know. Thankfully, my parish is not like that. Baptisms are done once a month, at a different Mass each time, plus outside of Mass after the noon Mass, with the parents picking which works best for them. And it is a growing, thriving parish. We often have standing room only. And so many babies and children! By the end of every Mass there are dozens of young parents (and some grandparents) walking restless toddlers or babies around the back of the Church, and I find that a beautiful sight. And yes, baptisms mean more people, but most people can stand for an hour without any danger, so standing room only is fine. We manage at Christmas and Easter and Palm Sunday, and those are much larger crowds than any baptism.

I see on these forums people talking about how it is so important for parents to bring the children to Mass every Sunday, and to raise them in the Church. Until, I guess, doing that disrupts anything, or inconveniences someone, huh?

 

[Phemie]

Yes, life is disrupting! Children are disruptive, for sure! But the Church says we should promote life, and again, if we tell women that they should avoid contraception and be open to life, don’t you think that’s way more disruptive to their life than the extra 10-15 minutes in Mass is to yours? And seriously, we are talking about a sacrament, and you are discussing parking? Not to mention, you say the child of a stranger, as if that matters? Again, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all one family. That “stranger” is part of your family. Besides, isn’t how we treat the stranger one of the ways we are judged by God?

Again, if the Church is going to preach a culture of life, that’s more than a yearly march or prayer vigil. It means an actual culture of life, which is a culture that is welcoming and loving towards babies and families. Saying the initiation of one of those babies is less important to the parish than making it to coffee hour on time or having to walk a bit further for parking is NOT a culture of life.

Life is messy. Life is hard. Life is crying babies and delayed plans and spit up on your best shirt. Parishes that embrace this will be the ones that grow.

Any parish that felt babies were a disruption to the mass rather than part of the family would be a parish I’d never set foot in. Same with the other Catholic mothers I know. Thankfully, my parish is not like that. Baptisms are done once a month, at a different Mass each time, plus outside of Mass after the noon Mass, with the parents picking which works best for them. And it is a growing, thriving parish. We often have standing room only. And so many babies and children! By the end of every Mass there are dozens of young parents (and some grandparents) walking restless toddlers or babies around the back of the Church, and I find that a beautiful sight. And yes, baptisms mean more people, but most people can stand for an hour without any danger, so standing room only is fine. We manage at Christmas and Easter and Palm Sunday, and those are much larger crowds than any baptism.

I see on these forums people talking about how it is so important for parents to bring the children to Mass every Sunday, and to raise them in the Church. Until, I guess, doing that disrupts anything, or inconveniences someone, huh?

:tiphat:

 

[BoysMama]

Our baptisms are done during mass, I love to see them when it happens and it is nice for the kids to see a baptism. My younger kids were baptized at a school mass.

 

[Kielbasi]

Our baptisms are done during mass, I love to see them when it happens and it is nice for the kids to see a baptism. My younger kids were baptized at a school mass.

Have you attended baptisms for people that were not at your parish church?

That’s where I think most of the disruption is with- not with the ordinary attendees at the mass. Taking people away from their own communities for a week, a parking situation that they may not be as well acquainted with, making sure that they stay in touch with the parents and others in the baptism party, can all be a little bit or even a lot harder on the logistics for the group involved.

 

[ktmeyer]

Have you attended baptisms for people that were not at your parish church?

That’s where I think most of the disruption is with- not with the ordinary attendees at the mass. Taking people away from their own communities for a week, a parking situation that they may not be as well acquainted with, making sure that they stay in touch with the parents and others in the baptism party, can all be a little bit or even a lot harder on the logistics for the group involved.

Not her, but yes. I left a few minutes early to make sure I could find parking and used google maps. People in other countries risk martyrdom to get to a sacrament… I can handle a minor parking inconvenience.

 

[Phemie]

Have you attended baptisms for people that were not at your parish church?

That’s where I think most of the disruption is with- not with the ordinary attendees at the mass. Taking people away from their own communities for a week, a parking situation that they may not be as well acquainted with, making sure that they stay in touch with the parents and others in the baptism party, can all be a little bit or even a lot harder on the logistics for the group involved.

Taking them away from their parish for a week? How would having the Baptism outside of Mass change that?? They’d still have to come to our community. And really, not acquainted with the parking situation? Is there a parish that never gets visitors at Sunday Mass? Even the smallest of communities I’ve visited during my summer travels were able to accommodate visitors, and not once have I been confused about parking.

 

[Kielbasi]

Taking them away from their parish for a week? How would having the Baptism outside of Mass change that?? They’d still have to come to our community. And really, not acquainted with the parking situation? Is there a parish that never gets visitors at Sunday Mass? Even the smallest of communities I’ve visited during my summer travels were able to accommodate visitors, and not once have I been confused about parking.

Traditionally, baptisms are done in the afternoon, outside of the mass schedule. The attendees of the baptism can attend mass in their own church in the morning before getting in their cars.

I’ve been to baptisms during Sunday mass, and I always thought it was more difficult to connect with the baptism attendees, both before and after the mass. There is usually an event at the parent’s home, gives the baby a chance to meet his relatives, and it requires a lot more coordination. Around here in Pittsburgh, at some churches, it can be very difficult to follow someone out of the lot to go to the person’s home afterwards. “follow Emily who is driving the white camry” may sound like a simple instruction, but there are a dozen white camrys being driven by all kinds of ordinary parishioners all leaving the mass at the same time, and who have nothing to do with the baptism party.

A separate baptism event usually runs a lot smoother is all I’m saying, that’s been my experience.

 

[ConfusedLucy]

To be fair with families like mine some of us would have to travel the night before and the (sadly few) practising ones might join the morning mass. I just can’t get over the thought of 60 odd extra people turning up on a typical Sunday and taking over the front section. It wouldn’t go down well.

 

[Phemie]

To be fair with families like mine some of us would have to travel the night before and the (sadly few) practising ones might join the morning mass. I just can’t get over the thought of 60 odd extra people turning up on a typical Sunday and taking over the front section. It wouldn’t go down well.

Typically we reserve the first two or three pews on one side of the center aisle (seats about 10-15). Anyone else attending the Baptism sits wherever.

As for “taking over the front section”, I don’t understand what the problem would be. It’s a public place and nobody is guaranteed the same pew at every Mass. That attitude seems very petty and un-Christian.

 

[Kielbasi]

Typically we reserve the first two or three pews on one side of the center aisle (seats about 10-15). Anyone else attending the Baptism sits wherever.

As for “taking over the front section”, I don’t understand what the problem would be. It’s a public place and nobody is guaranteed the same pew at every Mass. That attitude seems very petty and un-Christian.

I don’t think that reserving seats in church is either Christian or un-Christian.

 

[Phemie]

I don’t think that reserving seats in church is either Christian or un-Christian.

I didn’t mean that the reserving of seats was un-Christian; people being upset that they don’t get their favorite seat because folks are there for a Baptism is.