Baptism:
If you have a child you would like to have baptized at St. Francis of Assisi Parish please contact Elizabeth Hanks in the Parish office extension 25, or by email to sign up to attend a class and schedule a date for your child’s baptism. We do not have Baptisms during Lent. Baptisms are celebrated at our weekend Masses so that we can welcome our newly baptized members into the community of St. Francis.
Pre-Baptism Classes are scheduled for the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30 PM in the Parish Hall
Immersion by Paul Turner Baptism in the Catholic Church may be administered either by immersion or pouring. The two options are always listed in that order,indicating a preference for baptism by immersion, even though pouring is more commonly practiced. Christian Initiation: General Introduction says, “As the rite for baptizing, either immersion, which is more suitable as a symbol of participation in the death and resurrection of Christ, or pouring may lawfully be used” (22). The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “Baptism is performed in the most expressive way by triple immersion in the baptismal water” (1239). The National Statutes for the Catechumenate approved by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1986 say, “Baptism by immersion is the fuller and more expressive sign of the sacrament and, therefore, is preferred. . . . Provision should be made for its more frequent use in the baptism of adults” (17).
For many centuries, Catholic churches were equipped with baptismal fonts suitable for pouring water three times over the head of an infant. Since the Second Vatican Council, many parishes have erected larger fonts for the immersion of infants and adults.
The documents never specify exactly how immersion takes place, but several practices have evolved. When immersing an infant, the minister gently lowers the
baby three times into a large bowl of blessed water. When immersing an adult, there are other options. Adults may kneel in a pool while the minister pours water three times over their heads. Or the minister may bring them face forward into the water three times. Or, if the pool is deep enough, while the adult stands, the minister may take him or her backwards into the pool three times.
Scheduled dates for Pre-Baptism Classes and the Sacrament of Baptism The next pre-baptism class will be Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 6:30 PM in the Parish Hall.
Pre-Baptism Classes 6:30 PM in the Parish Hall
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Baptism Dates July 2010- June 2011 - 5:00 PM Mass and 10:00 AM Mass
August 21-22, 2010
September 18-19, 2010
October 16-17, 2010
November 20-21, 2010
January 15-16, 2011
February 19-20, 2011
May 21-22, 2011
June 25-26, 2011
Please share your gifts at St. Francis of Assisi Parish as Liturgical Ministers for the Life Teen Mass.
Beginning Sunday, September 26th we will add a Mass at 5:00 PM to our Sunday Mass schedule. I am looking for Eucharistic Ministers, Sacristans, Lectors,
and Ushers to minister at this additional Mass every weekend. We will need many new ministers. You need to be a Confirmed Catholic to be a liturgical minister. Ideally I would like to find 4 new Sacristans, 4 Lectors, 14 Eucharistic Ministers and 10 Ushers/ Greeters. The Lectors and Sacristans will serve on a once monthly schedule and the Eucharistic Ministers and Usher/Greeters will serve on alternating Sundays. Please prayerfully consider these opportunities to get more involved in the life of St. Francis of Assisi Parish. Contact Elizabeth for more details, to volunteer or if you can recommend someone.
Sunday Religious Education program for children. Classes for 4-year-olds through first grade meet at 10:00 A.M. during Mass. Classes for second grade through sixth grade meet at
9:00 A.M. Children are always welcome to join. Please contact me (Cheryl Brooten) at 206 242 4575 ext. 24 or via email at cbrooten@stfoa.org for more information.
First Reconciliation and First Communion classes for children baptized Roman Catholic, who are in the second grade, will meet during the second grade religious education program. Children enrolled in St. Francis School will receive their instruction at school. If your children do not attend the school and you would like them to receive these sacraments, you will need to register them for the religious education program as well as for sacramental preparation. Again, contact Cheryl (see note above.)
If you can help with Children’s Liturgy of the Word at the 10 AM Mass once a month, please call Elizabeth in the Parish Office to volunteer. We will need more volunteers to make Children’s
Liturgy of the Word a reality for our children. If you can help once a month or every other month, please give me a call.
Children’s Liturgy of the Word is celebrated the first Sunday of the month at the 10:00 AM Mass for children Grades 2-6. Children sit with their families as they enter the church. After the opening prayer, the celebrant calls the children up for a dismissal blessing. The children go to Unity Place to celebrate the Liturgy of the Word in a celebration adapted to their age-level. At the offertory of the Mass, the children return to their families.
There are Children’s Worship Bulletins available in the vestibule of the church for children ages 3-6 and 7- 12. The bulletin contains puzzles related to the Gospel readings for Sunday. They can be used to keep fidgety children busy during Mass or take one home for entertainment during the week. Children’s Worship Bulletins are based on familiar Bible passages.
Celebrating Children Some suggestions for parents of young children:
• Relax! God put the wiggle in children; don’t feel
you need to suppress it.
• Sit close to the front so your child can see and
hear and feel part of what is happening at Mass.
• Help your child find the hymns and the parts of
the Mass in the books.
• Children learn by imitating their parents. Sing
and respond with enthusiasm so they can
hear you.
• If you need to leave with your child during
Mass, feel free to do so, but please come back.
• We want your children to feel welcome and at
home in our liturgical gatherings.
To the members of St. Francis of Assisi Parish. . . a smile of encouragement is always welcome to
parents with small, active children.
For information about RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults), go here
St. Francis of Assisi Parish
15226 21st Avenue SW | Burien, WA 98166
Parish (206) 242-4575 | School (206) 243-5690
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