Baptisms at St. James
We receive you into the household of God. Confess the faith of Christ crucified, proclaim his resurrection, and share with us in his eternal priesthood.
The Book of Common Prayer
Holy Baptism is a community celebration. It is a visible statement that we are all inthislife of faith together. It is a reminder that Christianity is not an individual faith, but a shared one from the beginning. The vows taken at baptism, or made in the name of someone too young to speak for themselves, need the love and encouragement of the entire faith community to be lived out. At each celebration of Holy Baptism, the whole congregation is given the privilege of renewing their own vows in an act of living memory.
The Book of Common Prayer teaches us that Holy Baptism is “full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s Body the Church. The bond which God establishes in Baptism is indissoluble.” Those are very large words offered usually for someone who seems far smaller than the words feel. But, we do take them seriously, no matter how imposing they are. At the very least, they mean that we should be thoughtful and committed in being baptized or having our child baptized. It is an act of faith on our part, and not simply a social custom needing to be fulfilled.
The Book of Common Prayer assumes that baptism will always take place within the celebration of the Holy Eucharist of the community of faith. At St. James’, these are occasions of great festivity and joy. Literally, they are banner days and are eagerly anticipated by the whole community. Certain days in the Church Year are set aside for the celebration of Holy Baptism: The Easter Vigil, The Feast of Pentecost, The Sunday After All Saints’ Day, and the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord. In addition, it is appropriate for baptisms to be celebrated on the feast of the patron saint of a local parish. For us, the Feast of St. James’ is that Sunday.
Christianity is meant to be a relational faith. We begin that relationship when people seek a conversation about being baptized or having their child baptized. If that is where you find yourself in your own life of faith, please call the parish office or send and email to office@stjamesaustin.org to make an appointment to speak with the clergy. Holy Baptism Form.