Baptisms & Weddings
BAPTISMS
In baptism, we are reminded that nothing can separate us from God’s love, made known in Jesus Christ. Through the Sacrament of rebirth, we are knit into Christ’s body, which we call the Church.
Candidates for baptism make a series of vows, including an affirmation of the Baptismal Covenant, and are baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Godparents and parents make these promises on behalf of those who cannot answer for themselves.
After candidates are baptized, holy oil, called Chrism, is used to signify that they have been marked as Christ’s own forever, having “clothed [themselves] with Christ” (Galatians 3:27) and having been filled with the Holy Spirit.
All people of any age are welcome to be baptized. We believe in one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, as the “bond which God establishes in Baptism is indissoluble.” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 298).
WEDDINGS
Marriage is the sacramental rite of the church in which two persons "enter into a life-long union, make their vows before God and the Church and receive the grace and blessing of God to help them fulfill their vows." (BCP, p. 861). During the service, both persons promise to love, comfort, honor and keep their spouse, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, to be faithful to their spouse as long as they both live. (BCP, p. 424). At the marriage, the couple may pledge their lives to each other by the giving and receiving of rings as symbols of their vows. When desired, other appropriate symbols of their vows may be used instead of rings. In the Episcopal Church it is required that at least one of the parties be a baptized Christian, that the ceremony be attested by at least two witnesses and that the marriage conform to the laws of the state and the canons of the church.
The member of the clergy who will solemnize the marriage meets with the couple four times to prepare them for marriage. When one of the parties has been previously married and divorced, the consent of the diocesan bishop must be obtained prior to solemnization of the marriage. See Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage.
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