Your answers
Our daughter, a confirmed Anglican, married a Roman Catholic in our parish
church with the permission of our son-in-law’s bishop. They now regularly
worship in their local Methodist church. Expecting their first child, what
should they do about baptism?
In baptism, a Christian is received into the Body of Christ, signified by
the community in which he or she worships. If your daughter and son-in-law are
committed to worshipping and raising their child in their local Methodist
church, they may reasonably consider Methodist baptism as their primary option.
Questions may be raised about the undertaking that your son-in-law will have
made before marriage to baptise and raise any children in the Roman Catholic
Church. This undertaking is made “within the scope of my marriage”, and, while
important, is not binding.
The couple may wish to consider Roman Catholic (or Anglican) baptism; such a
baptism would make sense only if the child was then given a Roman Catholic (or
Anglican) upbringing, and taken regularly to mass.
Since each of the Churches involved recognises each other’s baptism, the
child will still have the option of being received into membership of any of
the Churches at a later stage.
A shared celebration of baptism may also be a possibility if the couple wish
to include more than one tradition. Again, this would be relevant only if one
or both of them remains involved in his or her original tradition — if your
son-in-law still attends mass, for example.
A shared celebration will be possible if local priest and minister are both
willing, and would normally take the form of a Roman Catholic baptism in which
another minister is actively involved. He or she would not pour the water or
pronounce the words of baptism.
Information and support for inter-Church couples, their families and their
ministers, with questions about baptism, is available from the Association of
Interchurch Families.
(The Revd) Beverley Hollins
Association of Interchurch Families
London SE1
Your Questions
When I was a lad being prepared for confirmation, we were encouraged to make
the sign of the cross at the end of the Creeds and the Gloria. I’ve noticed in
some places that this is no longer the custom. Has something changed?
S. H.
A few years ago, a book reviewed in the Church Times reported people’s
near-death experiences on the operating table. Can any-one give me the details
of the book? S. E.
Can anyone recommend a people’s setting of the modern-language mass which
suggests a more mystical view of the sacrament, perhaps, than that implied by
the poorly crafted jollity of so much current church music? T. M.
Address for answers and more questions:Out of the Question, Church Times, 33
Upper Street, London N1 0PN.
questions@churchtimes.co.uk