New Catholic question re Baptism

[jazzbaby1]

Are baptism and christening the same thing? A friend on another board and her DH are Jewish and when they left their daughter with his Catholic mother for a night out of town, the MIL had the baby christened (she gave them photos of the event).

 

[puzzleannie]

this sounds like an urban legend. It is a violation of canon law to baptize a baby without the parent’s consent and the assurance that the child will be raised Catholic. No one other than the parent or guardian can request baptism, not even a grandparent. If MIL did this on her own she violated Church law so she is not that good a Catholic anyhow. Christening is the word used for baptism by many Christians of English descent.

 

[jazzbaby1]

Thank you for answering so quickly. It sounded to me like MIL was yanking my friend’s chain, but then she said that there were photos. I’m sure they could’ve been staged (i.e. MIL took baby to church and took a photo of her priest holding baby and then just SAID it was a christening). As a fairly new Catholic, though, I’m never certain if I’m getting terms confused.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Are baptism and christening the same thing? A friend on another board and her DH are Jewish and when they left their daughter with his Catholic mother for a night out of town, the MIL had the baby christened (she gave them photos of the event).

Sometimes the terms are used interchangeably. Baptism is one of the seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church. “Christening” is also called “Dedication” in many Protestant denominations who do not Baptize infants. It is a presentation and a dedication to Christ of the child.

 

[Anima_Christi]

Sometimes the terms are used interchangeably. Baptism is one of the seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church. “Christening” is also called “Dedication” in many Protestant denominations who do not Baptize infants. It is a presentation and a dedication to Christ of the child.

I have never heard of “christening” used to refer to a baby dedication ceremony. “Christening” is used to refer to an infant baptism by some Protestants of British descent. For example, my parents are not Catholic and I was not raised Catholic, but I distinctly remember them taking me to my cousin’s Catholic “christening.” For a long time, I thought that Catholics don’t baptize, they only “christen”. I thought that when you get dunked under water you are baptized, and when you are sprinkled as an infant you are christened. Later of course I learned the correct use of the term “baptism”. In the most correct sense, “christen” refers specifically to the act of naming the child, that is, giving the child a Christian name at baptism. I guess that colloquially it just came to be used to describe the baptism itself.

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

this sounds like an urban legend. It is a violation of canon law to baptize a baby without the parent’s consent and the assurance that the child will be raised Catholic. No one other than the parent or guardian can request baptism, not even a grandparent. If MIL did this on her own she violated Church law so she is not that good a Catholic anyhow. Christening is the word used for baptism by many Christians of English descent.

And, in addition to annie’s comments, photos do not prove doodley-doo. The proof of an actual baptism having taken place is the parish registry in which the baptism allegedly occurred, which would issue a baptismal certificate for the baby on the date in question. The certificate should have the parish’s official seal.

 

[palmas85]

Are baptism and christening the same thing? A friend on another board and her DH are Jewish and when they left their daughter with his Catholic mother for a night out of town, the MIL had the baby christened (she gave them photos of the event).

This old story re-surfaces. However, it is based on fact. In 1858, a Catholic maid named Anna Marisi, allegedly sprinkled water on the head of a six year old boy named Edgardo Mortara and thus baptized him into the Catholic faith. This occured in Bologna, Italy. No real problem. However, the boy was Jewish as were his parents. At that time, Jewish parents could not raise Catholic children, even if the children were theirs.

On the night of June 22, 1858, I believe it was, police from the Papal States, under orders from Pope Pius IX himself, arrived at the home and took the boy to Rome, where he would be raised as a Catholic, amazingly enough under the personal supervision of the Pope… His family tried on numerous occasions to get the child back, but were re-buffed, even by the child himself, who later attributed his desire not to return to his parents as something coming from supernatural grace. He entered the Priesthood and actively tried to convert others of the Jewish faith to Catholicism. He died in 1940 in Belgium.

The case caused an international incident of almost unimaginable proportions. It was probably one of the constructive reasons for the abolition of the Papal States and greatly increased world wide indignation at and suspicion of the Catholic Chucrh in general and Pope Pius IX in particular. The Holy Father said he had no regrets over his actions and would willingly do the same again in similar circumstances.

The case came back to haunt the Church during the Beatification procedures for Pius IX. It is interesting to note that Edgardo himself was interviewed in 1912 and said he thought that Pius IX should indeed be canonized.

And no, christening and Baptism are not the same thing.

 

[lak611]

Here’s the definition from the Webster’s New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition:

christening n. the Christian act or ceremony of baptizing and giving a name to an infant; baptism