The Catholic (Universal) Church and Baptism

Yesterday we celebrated a happy and moving Rite of Baptism for Several Children - five in total, belonging to four lovely couples who took part in our Baptism Preparation class one week ago.

It was rather busy on the altar with the priest, Fr Kevin Dring, parents, godparents and infants. With one or two children we use the baptistery at the back of the church, but with several families it gets crowded and it is difficult for family and friends to see and participate effectively.

The word 'Catholic' in Catholic Church means 'universal' and I was reminded of it by the variety of nationalities present: among the four couples were nationals of Argentina, France, Cameroon, Ireland - and of course the United Kingdom. Several more nationalities were present among the friends and relations attending - and Fr Kevin's opening welcome in both English and Spanish clearly surprised and delighted one couple from Peru.

In the front porch is a poster underscoring the global nature of the Church. The parishioners attending the Sacred Heart Church come from more than 40 different nationalities - 46 at the last count.

The Church is considered Catholic/Universal in at least two key senses: as Christ is present in the Church, which is His visible body, and since He transcends dimensions, she is necessarily universal; she also has a mission and is organised to evangelize the entire world. The Sacrament of Baptism - the 'door to the Church' - is key to this. To Christ's own command to 'make disciples of all nations, baptizing them... (Matt 28:19) is the related promise that 'The one who believes and is baptized will be saved...' (Mark 16:16). So, yes, there's a lot of happiness involved in baptisms - the first stage on the journey to Heaven!  

A Golden Wedding and a baptism

Last Saturday, two of our parishioners, Michael and Susan Dring, celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary with Mass in the Sacred Heart, Hove. And, if that wasn’t special enough, the celebrant was their son Kevin, Parish Priest of the Sacred Heart, and concelebrating were two of their oldest priest friends, Fr Ian Byrnes and Fr David Rea.

The front pews were packed with family and friends and Georges Joucerand served the mass with the dignity and reverence that are his hallmarks. The church looked especially beautiful with fresh flowers in the vases and bright sunlight streaming in from the high leaded windows, painting the altar with colour.

Fr. Kevin’s tender tribute to his parents, their love, constancy and example, would not have been a surprise to them. However, what followed next was. From the back of the alter Fr. Kevin produced a large package wrapped in brown paper and, unwrapping it, proudly presented them with an Apostolic Blessing from His Holiness Pope Francis, a special and significant moment in an unforgettable day.

After Mass, the 40 or so guests departed for lunch, with lots to talk about.

The next day, after the Sunday morning masses, Fr Kevin performed baptisms of three infants belonging to two families. The first couple were a young local couple with their beautiful baby Samantha, the other couple originated from Albania and had two lively infants. In his homily Fr. Kevin stressed that baptism is not an end in itself but the start of a journey in which the parents, godparents, family and friends are called on, through example and encouragement, to support the newly baptised in living a life of holiness.  It struck me that the previous day’s celebration was a very practical example of what he meant...