As a community gathers to remember and celebrate the baptism of Jesus, all present are offered an opportunity to reflect upon their own sacramental initiation into Christ and the church. Jesus defined ...

An outdoor baptism at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church, known as "La Placita”, in Los Angeles, in Aug. 2020. Photo by Víctor Aleman/Archdiocese of Los Angeles LOS ANGELES (RNS) — It’s been tradition ...

After my mother died five years ago, I learned that she had been born to young Russian Jewish parents living on Orchard Street on the lower East Side of Manhattan. She had never spoken of this ...

This will cement a trend begun with adoption of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, which is being used to exclude churches ...

It’s our adoption into God’s family and the seal of our union with Christ. We don’t take it seriously enough. What is baptism? Is it necessary? Does it do anything? Who can receive it, and when, and ...

In asking to be baptized, Jesus exemplifies the Christian calling to follow along the path of humility and meekness rather than strutting about and being a showoff, Pope Francis said. Addressing ...

From the moment Jesus was about to ascend to heaven, when he gathered his disciples on the mountain, the Catholic Church has understood that baptism is inseparable from mission. “Go, therefore, and ...

A number of Catholics have been developing new methods and programs to invite parents whose children are between baptism and first Holy Communion age deeper into the life of the Church. Erin Murphy, a ...

Built in the late 1890s, Smirl Chapel was the primary house of worship for First Baptist Church of Heath. Now based in a larger and more modern building next door, the church plans to demolish it in ...