There’s no church teaching on what to wear FOR Baptism. The Rite expects that the child will be dressed in the white garment after the baptism. To that purpose in our parish the Godmother presents the garment as the priest says “See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity…” and then the child is taken to be dressed in it and brought back for the presentation of the Lighted Candle and the rite of Ephphetha.I searched on google and couldnt find anything that mentions specific church teachings on what a baby, adult, or anyone is supposed to wear for baptism. The sacrament of baptism or any sacrament for that matter does not depend on clothing to be valid.
The symbolism is of dark or dim before the Baptism and white after. I would suggest that you advise the church that you will supply the white garment in the form of a family garment. You would just simply dress the child after the Pouring of the water (the actual Baptism) and before the other Rites.
Even if babies are not normally re-dressed at this parish since they pour. I can’t see it taking more than a few minutes to slip on the gown after the Baptism.
Yes, except that the family garment isn’t all white. It is easier to just have the baby in the white dress with the pink underlayer and lay the parish-furnished white garment on top of that.
That’s what I thought. Not every parish bothers to change the babies into white garments, but supplies the “token” white garments.
Those have the advantage that they aren’t shared. The ritual bids the baptized to bring their garment unstained to the final judgment, right? Kind of hard to do that, if half your family is trying to cram themselves into the same dress!
You must take our white garment! Even though you already have a white garment on? To me that makes no sense. The OP seemed to indicate that the outer garment was white and the pink was under it. As long as the outer garment is white I would see no problem with just the family supplied gown.
But there is also some family tradition here. My grandmother made mine, by hand! I don’t think you could even find one today of the quality and detail it has.Those have the advantage that they aren’t shared. The ritual bids the baptized to bring their garment unstained to the final judgment, right? Kind of hard to do that, if half your family is trying to cram themselves into the same dress!
Is it white, or now with a fine patina making it cream?
The author Bill Dodds states in his book, How To Be A Catholic Mother, that most christening gowns resemble pillow cases to him. He points out if one needs to replace what was presented as a heirloom, to run out to KMart and get a cotton pillow case, remove the tag, make a head hole and run a lot of lace around it. He also states that when one’s mother-in-law makes noises of approval at the sight of the baby wearing the heirloom gown, and all the babies through the century who have already worn it, not to remind her that you saw the JC Penney tag in her doctored pillow case.Well, yes you take the Church’s white garment, since ritually you don’t come in already purified. Ritually speaking, it is baptism that washes you clean from sin, not your grandmother. We come to the Church for baptism, and leave baptism in a garment unstained by sin. So it is right that you leave the ritual with a ritual sign of purity that you did not have going in. This is not to say a parish would have to do it that way, but it wouldn’t be out of line if they did. It does fit the reality of the sacrament.
) And if the child urps up all over Grandma’s dress and has to be changed, but the parish tunic is available for the ritual, everything still goes on.The most common way to do it is to come in wearing the family baptismal gown, and then they put the little tunic on during the ritual. After the baptism (and maybe after Mass, too, if it is during Mass) is over, the tunic is put away, just as you would a chasuble and alb. It is a ritual garment, not something the child would wear all day.
No, it’s fine silk and linen in several layers with hand made lace edging. My mother was taught how to make the lace when she was a child. I have some pieces of various patterns. It’s almost like a very find knitting process of knots and loops. No buttons just eyes and hooks and a few very small snaps.Is it white, or now with a fine patina making it cream?
We have one, made of lawn, with armholes that are adjusted by ribbons run through the tiniest buttonholes, rather than elastic. It is still white, though barely. Sadly, it hangs in acid-free paper, and no baby has touched it in 8 years.
All I’m saying is the little parish garment is not required when the family already has a white garment available that they want to use.Well, yes you take the Church’s white garment, since ritually you don’t come in already purified. Ritually speaking, it is baptism that washes you clean from sin, not your grandmother. We come to the Church for baptism, and leave baptism in a garment unstained by sin. So it is right that you leave the ritual with a ritual sign of purity that you did not have going in. This is not to say a parish would have to do it that way, but it wouldn’t be out of line if they did. It does fit the reality of the sacrament.
Besides, where do you draw the line concerning whose dress is “white enough”? Who wants to go there? Families are also not necessarily wild about stripping the child out of Grandma’s handmade gown…dressing and undressing babies is sometimes easy, and sometimes like trying to put a sweater on an octopus. (If everyone is waiting for the operation to be finished, guess which one to expect?
The most common way to do it is to come in wearing the family baptismal gown, and then they put the little tunic on during the ritual. After the baptism (and maybe after Mass, too, if it is during Mass) is over, the tunic is put away, just as you would a chasuble and alb. It is a ritual garment, not something the child would wear all day.
As for the gorgeous dress, the child isn’t handed around and admired until afterward. The little tunic can come off then. There is plenty of opportunity for Grandma’s needlework to be appreciated.