All Saints Episcopal Church

The sacrament of Holy Baptism is the rite of initiation into the Christian faith and commissioning for ministry in the name of Jesus in the church and the world. Spiritually, it is union with Christ in his death and resurrection, forgiveness of sins, and new life in the Holy Spirit. The 20th century saw a revival of interest in the biblical foundations of baptism and its place in the worship life and spiritual teaching of the first few centuries of the Church. In what some have called a “new Reformation”, we are seeing the continuation of this process and a recovery of the full significance of baptism.

One result of this recovery is that the baptism of infants as a private ceremony attended only by the officiating priest and the parents, godparents and family is no longer practiced in the Episcopal Church. Rather we celebrate the inclusion of new members into the body of Christ at our Sunday worship, when the larger Christian community is present. We follow the sacrament of baptism with water in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit with the sacrament of Holy Communion in bread and wine.

We welcome adults and children for baptism. In the case of children too young to speak for themselves, it is important that the parents and godparents of the child meet on at least one occasion with one of our priests, to discuss the significance of baptism and their responsibility to nurture the child in the Christian faith. In the case of adults seeking baptism, we generally require a period of instruction and regular meetings with a priest or qualified lay director to prepare spiritually for this most important event. If you are interested in baptism for yourself or another, speak to one of our clergy.