God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has freed you from sin, given you a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and welcomed you into his holy people. He now anoints you with the chrism of salvation. As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet, and King, so may you live always as a member of his body, sharing everlasting life.<\/em>
\nAll:<\/span> Amen.<\/em><\/strong>
\nThen the celebrant anoints the child on the crown of the head with the sacred chrism, in silence.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n- The Ephphetha<\/strong> or Prayer over Ears and Mouth<\/strong> – when\u00a0the celebrant touches the ears and mouth of the child with his thumb, saying:\u00a0The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak. May he soon touch your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The entire mass, from being named and blessed at the door of the church and entering\u00a0with the processional, then sitting in the second row, where Efrain could really for the first time see and focus on what was happening in the sanctuary, and finally\u00a0the baptism itself, brought into focus the beauty of being brought into – adopted into – God’s Family through this sacrament.<\/p>\n
Adding an ethereal beauty to the occasion, Laurent was granted her request to cantor her little brother’s baptism mass. What an incomparable joy to this mama’s soul it was, as her clear, Celtic soprano lifted our hearts in worshipping the Lord.<\/p>\n
Finally, we were so blessed by the Ss. Simon and Jude Vincentians\u00a0to use the SVdP pantry facility for our potluck after-party! What could be more appropriate for a Heidmann shindig! \ud83d\ude00 \u00a0My\u00a0family (especially my daughters) and Efrain’s godparents were such a huge help in preparing and setting up the party room and the buffet, so all I had to worry about was getting the littles dressed and arriving at the church on time. It was such a lovely time of fellowship with delicious food\u00a0and\u00a0conversation, all set to\u00a0Megan’s special playlist of Efrain’s favorites for music. I am forever and\u00a0deeply thankful for all those who were with us in body or spirit as we rejoiced over this new child of God!!<\/p>\n
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