“National Public Radio featured a discussion of religion among millennials, young adults born just before the turn of this century. One speaker decided to wait before introducing her own children to any specific religious tradition, allowing them to be exposed to diverse spiritual experiences and then arriving at their own religious conclusions as they approached adulthood. The Catholic practice of infant baptism seemed presumptuous to the speaker, coopting a believer’s opportunity to make an informed and mature choice regarding one’s eternal destiny. Millennials are certainly not alone in this thinking.
“Some dedicated American Baptists have long postponed baptism into a believer’s grown-up years in the hope that a mature, adult decision will be spiritually more fruitful than a ceremony conducted long before a believer has even reached the age of reason.”
In a recent commentary, Father John Kiley (pastor emeritus of Saint Francis of Assisi Parish, Warwick, RI) reflected on the importance of infant baptism and on how it is part of God’s plan for the child involved. Fr. Kiley also reflected on the importance of parents, family, friends, parish, and the universal Church giving the newly baptized Catholic Christians a daily experience of the inexpressible love that God has for the child.
To access Fr. Kiley’s complete column, please visit:
The Rhode Island Catholic: The Quite Corner: Prayer: Part of the home from the beginning (21 NOV 13)
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