You Have Been Baptized in Christ

You Have Been Baptized in Christ You Have Been Baptized, an at -home retreat for 9th graders, was developed by Barbara Ballenger, Director of Faith Formation at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, State College, PA. 2007. 9th Grade At Home Retreat Facilitator s Guide 16

A Note to parents The 9 th Grade Retreat, which is an important part of the Confirmation process, focuses on Baptism, the first of the three sacraments of initiation. (The other two are Eucharist and Confirmation.) In this retreat you will be sharing memories of your child s baptism, revisiting the Rite and discussing the promises that you made that day. This guide will take you and your 9 th grader through a series of discussions and journaling exercises to help you explore this sacrament together. A retreat invites us to leave our regular routine in order to explore our relationship with God from a new angle. For it to be effective, it requires someone to set things up, keep it moving and get discussion going. For the purposes of this retreat, that s you. Just as you help your kids with their homework without giving them the answers, you can help them do this. And you may find you learn or relearn a few things too. things as inconceivable to me today as a moon shot was to my grandfather when he was 16, or the Internet to my father when he was 16. Ever since I was a little kid, whenever I've had a lousy day, my dad would put his arm around me and promise me that "tomorrow will be a better day." I challenged my father once, "How do you know that?" He said, "I just do." I believed him. My greatgrandparents believed that, and my grandparents, and so do I. As I listened to my Dad talking that night, so worried about what the future holds for me and my generation, I wanted to put my arm around him, and tell him what he always told me: "Don't worry Dad, tomorrow will be a better day." This, I believe. The activities in this guide are designed for at least two people, a parent and a child. You are welcome to include other family members, as well as godparents or sponsors. You can also invite other families who are also doing the at-home 9th grade retreat. Set aside about two hours for this experience. You might not need all this time but there s no need to rush through it. The goal here is to create an environment that helps your child (and you as well) to grow in faith. To prepare, read through the entire guide to familiarize yourself with the flow of the retreat. It will require gathering a few materials ahead of time. Try the exercises out yourself so that you are comfortable with them. Jot down some of your own thoughts and ideas to share. 2 15

This I Believe By Josh Rittenburg Morning Edition, February 27, 2006 I'm 16. On a recent night, while I was busy thinking about important social issues, like what to do over the weekend and who to do it with, I overheard my parents talking about my future. My dad was upset -- not the usual stuff that he and Mom and, I guess, a lot of parents worry about, like which college I'm going to, how far away it is from home and how much it's going to cost. Instead, he was upset about the world his generation is turning over to mine -- a world he fears has a dark and difficult future, if it has a future at all. He sounded like this: "There will be a pandemic that kills millions, a devastating energy crisis, a horrible worldwide depression and a nuclear explosion set off in anger." As I lay on the living room couch, eavesdropping on their conversation, starting to worry about the future my father was describing, I found myself looking at some old family photos. There was a picture of my grandfather in his Citadel uniform. He was a member of the class of 1942, the war class. Next to his picture were photos of my great-grandparents, Ellis Island immigrants. Seeing those pictures made me feel a lot better. I believe tomorrow will be better than today -- that the world my generation grows into is going to get better, not worse. Those pictures helped me understand why. Before the retreat, you will need: A facilitator s guide Preparations Journals for all contact the Office of Faith Formation if you need more (238-0649) Items for a prayer table: candle, bowl of water, crucifix, bible Items from your child s baptism -- Photos, home videos, cards, baptismal garments, candle whatever you have available. A copy of Josh Rittenberg s National Public Radio essay This I Believe. To listen to this essay on-line, which is preferred, go to www.thisibelieve.org. Click on search our database. Type Rittenberg under name and click search. Click on read. You ll have the option of listening as well. If you can t find it, a transcript is included on pp 14-15 of this guide. A symbol of yourself invite all participating in the retreat to bring an item with them that they see as a symbol of themselves something portable that can be held in the hand. I considered some of the awful things my grandparents and greatgrandparents had seen in their lifetimes: two world wars, killer flu, segregation, a nuclear bomb. But they saw other things, too, better things: the end of two world wars, the polio vaccine, passage of the civil rights laws. They even saw the Red Sox win the World Series -- twice. I believe that my generation will see better things, too -- that we will witness the time when AIDS is cured and cancer is defeated; when the Middle East will find peace and Africa grain, and the Cubs win the World Series -- probably only once. I will see 14 3

Opening Prayer Create a prayer space on a small table, such as the coffee table, that includes a candle, bible, bowl of water and some items from your child s baptism. Light the candle Recite or Sing Living Water by Robert Killoren 1990 (also on p 2 of the journal). You can sing the song or use it as a spoken prayer by taking turns reading the verses while all respond with the refrain. Refrain: Rain down your blessings on us. Shower us with your love. Grants us fullness of being, The promise of eternal life, so (R) Is a gift for the spirit, We shall never thirst again, so (R) Is a fountain within us, Living water for eternal life, so (R) Brings salvation to sinners The promise of redeeming life, so (R) Brings new life to the spirit Like a desert springs to life again, so (R) Calls us each to renewal In this water we are born again, so (R) Closing Prayer Light the baptismal candle again. Make sure there is a bowl of water on the prayer table. Leader Our closing prayer is adapted from the final blessing in the Rite of Baptism. At Good Shepherd, when we stand for the communion prayer after Communion, the parents and godparents come forward and place the infant on the altar. Parent(s): May God the almighty Father, who filled the world with joy by giving us his only Son, bless (child s name). May he/she grow to be more fully like Jesus Christ our Lord. Dip a finger in the bowl of water on the prayer table and make the sign of the cross on your child s forehead. All: Amen. Child: May almighty God, who gives life on earth and in heaven, bless my parents. As they have thanked God for me, so I thank God for them. May we always show that gratitude in action by loving and caring for one another. Dip a finger in the bowl of water on the prayer table and make the sign of the cross on your parents forehead. All: Amen. All: May almighty God, who has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, generously bless all of us who are his faithful children. May we always live as his people, and may he bless us with his peace. Scripture: Invite someone to read 1 Peter 3: 13-22 All: Amen. 4 13

Wrap it up Leader: We just reviewed only a few parts of the Rite of Baptism. You were also anointed with chrism, a perfumed oil that is consecrated by a bishop, which represented the gift of the Holy Spirit. You received a baptismal candle to represent the light of Christ and were clothed in a white garment to represent that you put on Christ and are clothed in his love. And there is another symbol that appeared during baptism: you, yourself. Just as the symbols that we shared at the beginning of our retreat tell people something about us, we tell people something about who Jesus is by virtue of our baptism and the way we live it out. Discuss: How is your parent/child a symbol of Christ to others? How do you see Christ in them? Symbols of Ourselves; Symbols of Christ Leader: In this at-home retreat we ll revisit your Baptism -- to retell the story of that day, and to explore what it meant and still means to us as a family and what it meant and still means to the church as a family. Faith is a path that families travel together. When we baptize infants in the Catholic Church, their families and the whole church community commit to help them to believe, to have faith, and to live a life that is hopeful despite all the bad things that happen to people. Baptism is about being in a family a biological family and a faith family. The family of faith is not a secret society; it s a public sign of the kind of relationship that God wants to have with all of humanity. The Apostle Paul calls us ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), which means we represent Jesus to the world. Let s take a moment to share the symbols of ourselves that we selected ahead of time. Discuss: What does this symbol say about me? Does this symbol ring true to the others on the retreat? When finished, place the symbols on the prayer table 12 5

This I Believe Leader: Just as the symbols we shared are personal to us, families have stories and symbols that are their very own. For example in our family... here you might want to recall some of the special rituals, prized possessions, traditions or stories that you associate with your family. We re going to listen to an essay by a 16-year-old named Josh Rittenburg, which was featured on National Public Radio s This I Believe segment in February of 2006. As you listen, jot down in your journal (p. 3) any important phrases that you hear or ideas that strike you. Note: It s ideal if you can listen to this essay in Josh s own words. Gather around the computer for this, or download it to an MP3 player if you can. If you can t get the audio, have someone read the text which is provided on pages 14-15 of this guide. Afterward discuss (questions are also on p. 3 of the journal): Did you write down anything that struck you from Josh s essay? What symbols connect Josh to the hope his family has had over the generations? Josh talks about the world his parents are handing over to him. Parents: when you had your child baptized what sort of world, what sort of vision, were you handing to your child? Students: How have you experienced the world your parents handed you in your baptism? Journal and Discuss: Answer the following questions in your journals (p.7) and then discuss. This list sums up the faith of the church, the faith that you were baptized in. Is there anything in this list that challenges you? Where can you get help when you are facing doubt? BAPTISM Leader: This is where the priest immerses or pours water over the head of the child three times, indicating that our sins are washed away when we die with Jesus, and we are filled with divine light as we rise from the water. Celebrant: Is it your will that N. should be baptized in the faith of the Church, which we have all professed with you? Parents/Godparents: It is. Celebrant: N., I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. All: Amen. Journal and Discuss: Answer the following questions in your journals (p. 10) and then discuss. In baptism we participate in the death and resurrection of Jesus. But it is not the last time a Christian must die to an old life and accept a new one. What attitudes or challenges do your baptismal promises call you to die to in order to be the kind of person God needs you to be? 6 11

Celebrant: Do you reject Satan, father of sin and prince of darkness? Parents/Godparents: I do. Celebrant: Do you, the members of this parish community, also make these promises? All: We do. Celebrant: Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth? Parents/Godparents: We believe. Celebrant: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father? Parents/Godparents: We believe. Celebrant: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting? Parents/Godparents: We believe. Celebrant: This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Tell me About the Day I was Baptized Leader: Josh didn t even mention baptism, but he brought up two important truths about sacraments they are about remembering and they are about belief. The Church family celebrates these rituals and symbols to remember that God was there once and that God is here still. Sacraments invite us to relive moments with God and with each other. So in that spirit we re going to relive your baptism. Note If you are doing this retreat with more than one family, split up into family groups at this point to retell the individual stories of baptism using the baptismal items. Then regroup when everyone is done. The Story of Your Baptism Take up to 30 minutes to tell your child about the day he/she was baptized, using photos, home videos or mementos from your child s baptism. These questions might help you prepare your thoughts: Where was your child baptized? Why did you have your child baptized there? How did you prepare, i.e. did you have to take classes? Who were the godparents and why did you pick them? Who else came on the day? Did the baptism happen at a Mass or was it a separate celebration? Who was the celebrant? Where did the baptismal clothes come from; did the parish have any particular traditions, such as the stole used at Good Shepherd? What is the one memory that remains with you from that day? All: Amen. Afterward Does your child have any questions about the event? Take a few minutes to jot down some reactions in the journal on p. 4. 10 7

Baptism Flash Back The following prayers are from the Rite of Baptism. Read through the sections together. Have your child read the part of the celebrant, while you read the part of the parents and the community. After the section, stop and answer the questions that follow, first in your journals and then discuss them. QUESTION OF THE PARENTS Leader: The Rite of Baptism begins after the homily and starts with the questioning of the parents. Celebrant: What name do you give your child? Parents: Child's first & middle name Celebrant: What do you ask of God's Church for your child? Parents: Baptism. Celebrant: You have asked to have your child baptized. In doing so you are accepting the responsibility of training him/her in the practice of the faith. It will be your duty to bring him/her up to keep God's commandments as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbor. Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking? Parents: We do. Celebrant: Are you ready to help these parents in their duty as Christian mother and father? Godparents: We are. Celebrant: Are you, the parish community, ready to provide these parents and godparents with a living faith community in which to raise their child? Congregation: We are. 8 Journal and Discuss: Answer the following questions in your journals (p. 9) and then discuss. The priest asks the parents do you clearly understand what you are undertaking? Parents: Has your understanding of the undertaking changed over the years as you have supported your child in the faith? What has worked well and what has been challenging? Students: Parents, godparents and the church community all vowed to help you grow in your faith. How have you experienced that over the years? RENUNCIATION OF SIN AND PROFESSION OF FAITH Leader: This follows the anointing before Baptism. The Profession of Faith contains our baptismal promises and our core beliefs. Celebrant: Dear parents and godparents: You have come here to present this child for baptism. By water and the Holy Spirit he/she is to receive the gift of new life from God, who is love. On your part, you must make it your constant care to bring him/her up in the practice of the faith. See that the divine life which God gives him/her is kept safe from the poison of sin, to grow always stronger in his/her heart. If your faith makes you ready to accept this responsibility, renew now the vows of your own baptism. Reject sin; profess your faith in Christ Jesus. This is the faith of the Church. This is the faith in which this child is about to be baptized. Celebrant: Do you reject sin, so as to live in the freedom of God's children? Parents/Godparents: I do. Celebrant: Do you reject the glamour of evil, and refuse to be mastered by sin? Parents/Godparents: I do. 9