Holy Baptism
Baptism is the sacrament signifying our identity as children of God and our commitment to walk in the ways of God throughout our lives.
What is Baptism?
Baptism serves is a sacrament of welcome into the Body of Christ—for children and adults. In it, we celebrate God’s love and embrace for God’s people as unconditional and absolute; we are “marked as Christ’s own forever,” making Baptism a sacrament that is done only once in a person’s life.
Baptism is also a time when the community of faith gathers to renew its own commitment to Christ and to support those who are being baptized in their life in Christ. So it is appropriate that Baptism take place, whenever possible, in the midst of the congregation during the Holy Eucharist as the chief service on a Sunday or other feast day.
Baptism takes place during a Sunday service
The Book of Common Prayer designates certain days in the liturgical year as being especially appropriate for the celebration of Holy Baptism. These are the Easter Vigil (the Saturday evening before Easter Day), the Day of Pentecost, All Saints’ Day or the Sunday after All Saints’ Day, the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord (the First Sunday after the Epiphany) and during the annual visit from one of our bishops.
Instruction
In the early church, adult baptisms were the norm as more and more people heard and responded to the Gospel. Adult baptisms continue to be a cause for great celebration in our church. We encourage adults who are exploring the Christian faith at St. Stephen’s to discuss the possibility of Baptism with one of the members of the clergy. Many adults who wish to be baptized take part in an inquirers class as part of their preparation.
If you wish to bring your child to be baptized, both the parents and godparents of the child will receive instruction from a member of the clergy in anticipation of this happy occasion.
Upcoming Dates
Baptism dates are listed below. Dates for 2025, through August, are also provided. Once the remaining 2025 dates are scheduled, we’ll post them on this page.
2024
- August 18 @ 10 a.m. (in the church; summer schedule)
- September 22 @ 9 a.m. (Palmer Hall service) and 11:15 a.m. (in the church)
- October 20 @ 9 a.m. (in the church)
- November 3 @ 9 a.m. (Palmer Hall service), 11:15 a.m. (in the church) and 5:30 p.m. (Celtic service); All Saints’ Sunday
2025
- January 12 @ 9 a.m. (in the church and 5:30 p.m. (Celtic service) the Baptism of Our Lord
- March 2 @ 11:15 a.m. (in the church)
- April 19 @ 7:30 p.m. (in the church) the Great Vigil of Easter
- April 27 @ 9 a.m. (Palmer Hall)
- May 4 @ 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. (in the church)
- June 8 @ 10 a.m. (summer service in the church) and 5:30 p.m. (Celtic service) the Day of Pentecost
- July 20 @ 10 a.m. (summer service in the church)
- August 24 @ 10 a.m. (summer service in the church)
This is a sacrament of the church which we invite any who desire it to receive. We are happy to discuss further details, including scheduling and membership. Contact any of the people listed below.
Links
The Baptismal Font
As part of the restoration of our church and grounds to mark our first 100 years of mission and ministry, we commissioned a new baptismal font that is more proportionally suited to its central location in our large nave. This has allowed us to move the smaller baptismal font back to its original, historic location in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, beneath the stained glass windows depicting the Baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan River.
The design of the tracery work on the sides of the font is taken from the former wooden screens that now adorn our movable forward altar. Since the two primary pieces of liturgical furniture in a traditional church like St. Stephen’s are the baptismal font and the altar—symbolizing the two sacraments ordained by Christ himself, Communion and Baptism—we are delighted to have those two pieces reflect and complement one another.
Traditionally, baptismal fonts are six-sided (six being a symbol of death, or dying with Christ) or eight-sided (eight being a symbol of new life, “the eighth day of creation,” “the day of resurrection”). Our font and bowl incorporate the ancient symbol of eight sides, in the case of the font, and in the case of the bowl, eight three-sided (trinitarian) flares from the center of the bowl.
Each Sunday, we re-enact the whole of the Christian life in our procession from our birth in Christ symbolized in the font, to the nearer presence of God represented in the altar, a presence we experience now in Communion, and fully in the life of the world to come. Water is a universal symbol of cleansing, birth, and new life, and you will always find blessed holy water in our font when you are here. Whenever you enter the church or pass by the font, you are welcome to touch the water (some make the sign of the cross after touching the water) as a tangible reminder of God’s cleansing love for you, as well as a reminder of your true and eternal life in God. For many, this is a way to “come home” each time we come to church. All of us go astray; the font reminds us that we can always return.