This past Sunday we welcomed Rachel Marie into the Catholic Church. The presiding priest gave a beautiful, personalized ceremony. The guest of honor slept through most of the baptism. We’ve been joking around that she was going to love getting baptized because she completely relaxes when we allow her neck to stretch back and her head to hang down away from her body, and her favorite part of bath time is when we pour water over that full head of hair of hers. We weren’t disappointed. She briefly opened her steely eyes and then closed them again in complete contentment.
Big sister Madeline was also on her best behavior and exclaimed, “Amen!” during the service (at appropriate times), recited the Hail Mary with us all and even made the Sign of the Cross on Rachel Marie’s forehead after dipping her fingers in holy water. It was a beautiful, memorable day.
Perhaps one of the greatest blessings was having my older brother Jason serve as Rachel Marie’s godfather. When Madeline was baptized in January 2005, Jas was in jail. A drug addiction had crippled him and taken over his life. Now he is a changed man with a rich faith life after undergoing treatment at No Longer Bound, a Christian-based drug and alcohol rehab program. Jas is still at NLB, helping to minister to other men while also working at an on site print shop. He hopes to join the staff in late fall. God is good!
We were blessed to have my cousin Anne Marie, another Catholic stay-at-home mom who is living out her God-given vocation, serve as Rachel Marie’s godmother.
Welcome to the Church, Rachel Marie!
