Cradle Catholics: How old were you at your Christening?

  • Thread starter Thread starter s.cono
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
I was baptized one month and two days after my birth in 1962.

My son was baptized one month less four days after his birth in 1984.

Both days were a Sunday, so I believe the plan was to be baptized on the closest Sunday to one month after our births.
 
One year and one month. No idea why the delay, possibly the polio scare.
 
Well, I was a premie born at just under 8 months gestation, and I had respiratory distress syndrome, so I was baptized by a nurse right away because they were afraid I was going to die (the situation seemed more dire at first than it was). I think I was 7 months old when I had the big church ceremony.
 
First, I didn’t have a christening. I had a baptism in 1977. 😎

I was baptized a few weeks after my birth. Not exactly sure when though (all they I have a copy of my baptismal certificate somewhere in my house). My name was not a secret or surprise, and my first name was already a Saint’s name. So I didn’t need my Christian name revealed.

As FYI - technically speaking, a christening is the baby naming part. It became popular name on baptism products because some protestants don’t believe in baptizing babies, they do baby namings instead. So “christening” is a good way to make a lot of baptism gifts and cards without having to worry about people not buying them.

God Bless! 🙂
 
Last edited:
Two weeks old in the late 1960s.

I was away from the Church when my son was born, so he wasn’t baptized until he was three-and-a-half years old. He still thinks of himself as a cradle Catholic.
 
November 1960 - not quite 3 months old. I came across some pictures recently…😊
 
Irishmom2 said:
babies were not taken out unless absolutely necessary until they were christened.
Click to expand...
To protect them from the “evil eye”. I think a tiny bit of Khabala did permeat Christianity as well. Like in my country there is the same rule you mention plus wearing a red string on your wrist (left). Some priests preach against these practices calling them “pagan superstition” but they still remain at least on the countryside.
 
Mary888 said:
To protect them from the “evil eye”.
Click to expand...
I grew up in the US amidst family and neighbors who were deeply awash in superstition. The evil eye was certainly high up there on the list. We were never to give a compliment to someone, without appending “God Bless him/her”, for fear that the evil eye, which was sort of a loose cannon might befall them. So a typical compliment might go “Oh, what a beautiful baby, God Bless her”. We were taught to discreetly make the symbol of “the horns” to protect ourselves from “the eye” as well.
 
s.cono said:
“God Bless him/her”
Click to expand...
Now I understand these phrases being popped into phrases until they become a repeating verse. 😂 I was taught to not stare at someone for too long in admiration because they might get cursed and other such things. If you feel dizzy out of the sudden or you hickup someone is gossippibg you. Idk about the evil eye. But I understand the Church trying to dissuade people from believing in these things and trust God’s power not get lost in fear of the evil one. It’s kind of hard at times since I find some of these ideas are deeply ingrained into me even if I hadn’t been told about them in ages. I just flinch when they come back in my head out of the blue, as intrusive thoughts.
 
Mary888 said:
It’s kind of hard at times since I find some of these ideas are deeply ingrained into me even if I hadn’t been told about them in ages. I just flinch when they come back in my head out of the blue, as intrusive thoughts
Click to expand...
Yes, the same with me. As a children if we saw an ambulance, or a fire truck with sirens and lights hurrying somewhere we made “the horns” to ward off the danger, so that whatever was happening wouldn’t be affecting us or our loved ones. So til this day, I finding myself making the sign of the cross when an ambulance passes. No more “horns”, though. I stopped doing that as a young adult, and did not pass those things to my children. At least not intentionally.
 
I’ll have to check the family bible but I think I was around 2 months old in the late 19- (cough) (cough). 😁
 
Last edited:
I find amazing that the majority of the people who answer where youngs babies when they were baptized.

In France, today, for all the parishes I seen, there is a preparation of three months for the parents before the christening.
So the overwelming majority of baptized babies are more than 3 months old.
In my parish, the babies are usually in their second year.
I think practicing parents often baptized more quickly.

Perhaps it had changed compared to the previous generations, or it is a cultural difference.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top