The Sacrament of Baptism

The celebration of the sacrament of baptism underwent a major change in the years after the Second Vatican Council (1962 '65). The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults was revised to take into account the situation of the contemporary world by incorporating insights from the earliest centuries of the Church. The Rite of Baptism for Children was renewed to take into account the role of parents and godparents in a more direct way.

These two situations’the initiation of adults who profess their own faith and the baptism of children whose faith is professed for them’are the object of this book. The symbols and actions of the rites together with the words of Scripture and prayer are explored to answer the question: How do these celebrations reveal a theology of initiation and baptism for today’s Catholic community?

Michael G. Witczak, SLD, is a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and an assistant professor in liturgical studies at The Catholic University of America. His writings have appeared in Theological Studies, Ecclesia Orans, and Liturgical Ministry.

The series Lex Orandi attempts to derive a theology of the seven sacraments primarily, though not exclusively, from the typical celebrations of the reformed Roman Rite. It dos so out of an ancient conviction, rediscovered in the twentieth century, that God acts in the sacraments precisely through their symbolic function.

Other titles in the Lex Orandi series include: Sacramental Orders, The Sacrament of Reconciliation, The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, and The Sacrament of the Eucharist.