Then he lays his hand upon the head of the person to be baptised, and says: Oremus. Eternam ac justissimam pietatem tuam deprecor, Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, æterne Deus, Auctor luminis et veritatis, super hunc famulum tuum N., ut digneris illum illuminare lumine intelligentiæ tuæ munda eum, et sanctifica da ei scientiam veram, ut dignus gratia baptismi tui effectus, teneat firmam spem, consilium rectum et doctrinam sanctam. Per Christum Do : minum nostrum. R. Amen. Let us pray. I supplicate thy eternal and most just goodness, ( holy Lord, Father Almighty, eternal God, Author of light and truth, in behalf of this thy servant N., that thou wouldst vouchsafe to enlighten him with the light of thy wisdom: cleanse him, and sanctify him: give unto him true knowledge, that, being made worthy of the grace of thy baptism, he may retain firm hope, right counsel, and holy doctrine. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen. After this, the Priest lays the end of his stole upon the person to be baptised, and admits him into the Church, saying: N., ingredere in templum N., enter into the temple of God, that thou mayest have part with Christ unto life everlasting. R. Amen. When they have entered the Church, the Priest, as he proceeds to the Font, says, along with the Sponsors, in a loud voice (in Latin or the vulgar tongue, according to circumstances) : Credo in Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem cœli et terræ. Et in Jesum Christum, Filium ejus unicum Dominum nostrum: qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto; natus ex Maria virgine; passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus: descendit ad inferos; tertia die resurrexit a mortuis; ascendit ad cœlos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis; inde venturus est judicare vivos et mortuos. Credo in Spiritum Sanctum; sanctam Ecclesiam I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost; born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried: he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead. Catholicam; Sanctorum communionem; remissionem peccatorum ; carnis resurrectionem; vitam æternam. Amen. Pater noster, qui es in cœlis; sanctificetur nomen tuum: adveniat regnum tuum: fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cœlo, et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie: et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo. Amen. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Catholic Church; the communion of Saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen. Our Father, who art in heaven; hallowed be thy name: thy kingdom come : thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread: and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen. And then, before he reaches the Baptistery, he says: Exorcizo te, omnis spiritus immunde, in nomine Dei Patris omnipotentis, et in nomine Jesu Christi, Filii ejus,+ Domini et Judicis nostri, et in virtute Spiritus Sancti, ut discedas ab hoc plasmate Dei, N., quod Dominus noster ad templum sanctum suum vocare dignatus est, ut fiat templum Dei vivi, et Spiritus Sanctus habitet in eo. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum, qui venturus est judicare vivos et mortuos, et sæculum per ignem. R. Amen. I exorcise thee, every unclean spirit, in the name of God the Father + almighty, and in the name of Jesus Christ his Son +, our Lord and Judge, and in the power of the Holy Ghost, that thou depart from this creature of God, N., which our Lord hath vouchsafed to call unto his holy temple, that it may be made the temple of the living God, and that the Holy Ghost may dwell therein. By the same Christ our Lord, who shall come to judge the living and the dead, and the world by fire. R. Amen. Then the Priest, wetting his right thumb with spittle from his mouth, and touching therewith, in the form of a Cross, the right ear of the person to be baptised, and afterwards the left, says: Ephphetha, quod est +, Adaperire: Ephphetha, that is to say +, Be opened: And, touching his nostrils, adds: In odorem suavitatis. For a savour of sweetness. Lastly, in a louder voice, he adds these words: Tu autem fuge, Satana +, ecce appropinquat Deus magnus et potens, Deus a forti prædam auferens. But thou, Satan, fly +, behold the God, great and mighty, draweth near; the God who taketh away the prey from the strong one. Then he interrogates the person to be baptised, by name, N., abrenuntias Satanæ ? R. Abrenuntio. saying: R. I do renounce him. R. I do renounce them. R. I do renounce them. Then the Priest dips a small silver rod, or his thumb, in the oil of the Catechumens, and anoints the person to be baptised on the breast, and between the shoulders, in the form of a Cross, saying: Ego te linio + oleo salutis, in Christo Jesu+Domino nostro, ut habeas vitam æternam. R. Amen. I anoint thee with the oil of salvation, in Christ Jesus + our Lord, that thou mayest have life everlasting. R. Amen. Next, he wipes his thumb and the parts anointed with a cloth, and changes the stole from violet to white. Then he asks the person to be baptised, by name : Then, pronouncing the name of the person to be baptised, the Priest says: N., vis baptizari ? N., wilt thou be baptised? Then the Godfather, or the Godmother, or both, holding or touching the person to be baptised, the Priest takes the baptismal water in a small vessel or pitcher, and pours it therefrom thrice on his head, in the form of a Cross; and at the same time, uttering the words once only, distinctly and attentively, he says: N., ego te baptizo in nomine+Patris, et Filii +, et Spiritus + Sancti. N., I baptise thee in the name of the Father+[he pours it for the first time], and of the Son +[he pours it for the second time], and of the Holy+ Ghost [he pours it for the third time]. This done, the Priest dips a stile, or his thumb, in the holy chrism, and anoints the person baptised on the top of his head, in the form of a Cross, saying: Then he wipes his thumb and the part anointed, and puts upon the head of the person baptised a white linen cloth, in place of the white garment anciently used, saying: N., accipe vestem candidam, quam immaculatam perferas ante tribunal Domini nostri Jesu Christi, ut habeas vitam æternam. R. Amen. N., receive this white garment, and see thou carry it without stain before the judgment-seat of our Lord Jesus Christ, that thou mayest have eternal life. NN R. Amen. Then he gives to the person baptised, or (in the case of an infant) to the Godfather, a lighted candle, saying: The Anniversary of our Baptism. It is proper that we should keep the anniversary of our Baptism with especial devotion, to thank God for so great a blessing. Reflect, then, on the engagements which you made with him, and examine whether you have been faithful to them. If possible, receive the Holy Communion. Endeavour to pass the day in a spirit of recollection; make an act of reparation for all the infidelities of which you have been guilty, and recite the following prayers. A Renewal of the Baptismal Vows. O holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one only God in three persons, I bow myself down before thee, to worship thee, and to give thee thanks for all the blessings and mercies, which thou hast poured forth upon me, with such bountiful goodness, ever since I was born. Above all, I thank thee for the grace of holy Baptism, which hath preserved and sanctified in me all thy gifts, and surpasseth man's understanding. By Baptism I was admitted into the bosom of the Church; I was made thy child; the gates of heaven were opened unto me. What thanksgivings, O my God, can be proportioned to such a grace, which is the source and the seed of my everlasting happiness! |