The liturgy of baptism is normally celebrated within the context of the Sunday worship of a Christian community. Nowadays, following ancient Church practice, baptisms are public events. St. James Cathedral celebrates baptisms on specific feast days in the Church’s calendar.

The Church, from the earliest years, has baptized both infants and adults. Some Christian traditions have stated that people must be able to make a conscious adult choice about following Christ. Others have seen infant baptism as a way of expressing the inclusiveness of God’s family in Christ. It is important to note that baptism is never primarily an act of an individual; it is centrally the action of the entire Church of God.

If you are an adult, and wish to baptized, we encourage you to participate in our Inquirers Class, which prepares adult for the rites of baptism, confirmation, or reception into the Episcopal Church. All candidates for adult baptism should notify Vicar Peter Siwek (see below) to schedule a pastoral appointment.

Parents of babies and young children who are being presented for baptism should also notify Vicar Peter Siwek. He will be able to give you details about dates for Cathedral baptisms. Parents and godparents will need to schedule an appointment with one the Cathedral clergy as part of baptismal preparation. Godparents are not required to be Episcopalian, but they do need to be baptized Christians. The pastoral session with parents and godparents will include time to share and imagine what it means to raise a child in the Christian life today, as well as the roles of parents and godparents. Our conversation will lead us to exploring the Church’s teaching of baptism as we find it in the Book of Common Prayer.

While baptisms are often planned months in advance for public worship events, always know that any Christian can baptize another person, particularly if there is a life-threatening emergency. Baptism requires water poured over the person, saying, “(Name), I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.” Please let the Cathedral clergy know if such an emergency baptism has taken place.

You can receive more information about baptisms by calling Vicar Peter Siwek at 312-751-6727 or e-mailing him at psiwek@saintjamescathedral.org.