I am very honored to have this new role. It adds another dimension to my relationship with Cyprian and by extension his parents and family, even though we are already friends and brothers and sisters in Christ.
The baptism was special in another way in that it was the Rite of Solemn Baptism, which is the older rite, done entirely in Latin. It has a few more parts and more profound symbolism (conveniently explained in the program) than the rite of baptism ordinarily used today. For example, the rite begins outside the Church (in the narthex), symbolizing that the candidate is not yet a member of the Church.
Also fun for me as the sponsor, I along with the godfather, recited the Our Father and the Creed on Cyrprian's behalf, in Latin. Fortunately I got to read it and did not have to memorize anything! (And I made sure to brush up on proper pronunciation of Ecclesial Latin ahead of time!)
Before attending my first Solemn Baptism a couple of years ago, my only other experience or exposure to the older rite is from the movie, The Godfather. It conjures up images in my mind of Robert DeNiro saying "Abrenutio" in response to the priest asking if he renounces Satan during the scene in which the nephew of Michael Corleone is getting baptized. (And I too said said the same thing on Cyprian's behalf.)
From Left to right: Cyprian's parents David and Frances, Fr. Timothy Reid (celebrant), me, seminarian Peter Shaw (Cyprian's godfather)
The Rite of Solemn Baptism specifies that the godmother (me!) is to hold the baby while he is being baptized.
P.S. In case you noticed what a new baby Cyrpian is in the photos, he is just nine days younger than Clara. (So thank you to Michael for being in charge of all our littles while I was participating in the baptism!) Also fun to note is that Cyprian's older sister is just about five or six weeks younger than Simon. We will enjoy watching our kids grow up together!
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