Monday, 2 December 2013
Tuesday, 11 June 2013
Thursday, 30 May 2013
Monday, 27 May 2013
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
Information about Baptism
Sign of the Cross Usually when you enter the church the priest will trace the cross on the forehead of your baby and invite the parents and godparents to do the same. The cross is a reminder of the love of Christ who gave his life for his friends.
The tracing of a cross on the forehead of the person being baptised is an invisible 'branding' that says 'you belong to Christ'.
Baptismal Promises
You will gather around the baptismal font - a large bowl, usually of stone or marble or glass holding the waters of baptism. Usually the mother holds the child. The celebrant asks the parents what they want for the child. You reply, 'Baptism.' Then you make the baptismal promises on behalf of your child.
These promises are based on the Apostles Creed.
Anointing
The celebrant anoints your baby with oil on the forehead and on the chest. He anoints the baby with the Oil of Baptism (Catechumens) and with the Oil of Chrism. The Oil of Baptism is olive oil. It relates to the days when athletes used to rub oil into their bodies before events to strengthen them and make their skin more supple. It symbolises strengthening for the struggles of life ahead.
The Oil of Chrism is a combination of olive oil and balsam. It symbolises the sealing with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Baptism with Water
The priest pours water over the head of your baby (or immerses the baby in the water) and says "I baptise you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
The water is a sign of cleansing. The water symbolically washes the person being baptised of all sin.
It is also a sign of life. Without water nothing can grow. It is a sign of the new spiritual life into which the baptised person is entering.
Candle
As a sign of the new life a candle will be lit, usually from the Easter Candle which symbolises the light of Christ.
Usually the father of the child or a godparent will stand by the child and hold this candle.
You might ask the priest beforehand whether it is the custom in your parish for the parents to bring their own baptismal candle or whether the parish provides them. If you provide the candle, you can choose either to buy a baptismal candle or to decorate one yourself.
White Garment
Your child is given a white garment as a sign of being clothed in Christ.
Your family might have a Christening gown that you want to use or a shawl. If you want to use this, then let the priest know beforehand.
You might like to use a baptismal gown, either a white stole, a white scapular or a white bib - perhaps one that you have made and bearing the sign of a cross. The white garment is a symbol of purity and innocence.
Baptismal certificate and Baptismal register
At the end of the ceremony you will be asked to sign the parish Baptismal register and you will be given a Baptismal Certificate. You will want to keep the certificate carefully as it may be needed when you enrol your child in a catholic school or before he or she receives the sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation.
Donation
Although a baptism is free, it is usual to give the priest a donation - for his time and effort. Give what you can afford. The parish office might make a suggestion as to how much would be appropriate.
The tracing of a cross on the forehead of the person being baptised is an invisible 'branding' that says 'you belong to Christ'.
Baptismal Promises
You will gather around the baptismal font - a large bowl, usually of stone or marble or glass holding the waters of baptism. Usually the mother holds the child. The celebrant asks the parents what they want for the child. You reply, 'Baptism.' Then you make the baptismal promises on behalf of your child.
These promises are based on the Apostles Creed.
Anointing
The celebrant anoints your baby with oil on the forehead and on the chest. He anoints the baby with the Oil of Baptism (Catechumens) and with the Oil of Chrism. The Oil of Baptism is olive oil. It relates to the days when athletes used to rub oil into their bodies before events to strengthen them and make their skin more supple. It symbolises strengthening for the struggles of life ahead.
The Oil of Chrism is a combination of olive oil and balsam. It symbolises the sealing with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Baptism with Water
The priest pours water over the head of your baby (or immerses the baby in the water) and says "I baptise you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
The water is a sign of cleansing. The water symbolically washes the person being baptised of all sin.
It is also a sign of life. Without water nothing can grow. It is a sign of the new spiritual life into which the baptised person is entering.
Candle
As a sign of the new life a candle will be lit, usually from the Easter Candle which symbolises the light of Christ.
Usually the father of the child or a godparent will stand by the child and hold this candle.
You might ask the priest beforehand whether it is the custom in your parish for the parents to bring their own baptismal candle or whether the parish provides them. If you provide the candle, you can choose either to buy a baptismal candle or to decorate one yourself.
White Garment
Your child is given a white garment as a sign of being clothed in Christ.
Your family might have a Christening gown that you want to use or a shawl. If you want to use this, then let the priest know beforehand.
You might like to use a baptismal gown, either a white stole, a white scapular or a white bib - perhaps one that you have made and bearing the sign of a cross. The white garment is a symbol of purity and innocence.
Baptismal certificate and Baptismal register
At the end of the ceremony you will be asked to sign the parish Baptismal register and you will be given a Baptismal Certificate. You will want to keep the certificate carefully as it may be needed when you enrol your child in a catholic school or before he or she receives the sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation.
Donation
Although a baptism is free, it is usual to give the priest a donation - for his time and effort. Give what you can afford. The parish office might make a suggestion as to how much would be appropriate.
The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church
1) Baptism
For Catholics, the Sacrament of Baptism is the first step in a lifelong journey of commitment and discipleship. Whether we are baptized as infants or adults, Baptism is the Church's way of celebrating and enacting the embrace of God.
2) Confirmation
Confirmation is a Catholic Sacrament of mature Christian commitment and a deepening of baptismal gifts. It is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation for Catholics. It is most often associated with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
3) Holy Communion
Catholics believe the Eucharist, or Communion, is both a sacrifice and a meal. We believe in the real presence of Jesus, who died for our sins. As we receive Christ's Body and Blood, we also are nourished spiritually and brought closer to God.
4) Reconciliation
The Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation (also known as Penance, or Penance and Reconciliation) has three elements: conversion, confession and celebration. In it we find God's unconditional forgiveness; as a result we are called to forgive others.
5) Marriage
For Catholics, the Sacrament of Marriage, is a public sign that one gives oneself totally to this other person. It is also a public statement about God: the loving union of husband and wife speaks of family values and also God's values.
6) Holy Order
In the Sacrament of Holy Orders, or Ordination, the priest being ordained vows to lead other Catholics by bringing them the sacraments (especially the Eucharist), by proclaiming the Gospel, and by providing other means to holiness.
7) Anointing of the Sick
The Catholic Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, formerly known as Last Rites or Extreme Unction, is a ritual of healing appropriate not only for physical but also for mental and spiritual sickness.
Our sacraments can be divided into 3 different groups.
1. the Sacraments of Initiation
Baptism, confirmation and holy communion
Anointing of the sick and reconciliation
Marriage and holy order
Tuesday, 7 May 2013
Tuesday, 30 April 2013
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
Armchair Tour of the Land of Jesus Diary
Day 1 Garden of Gethsemane
and The Dead Sea
22.2.2013
Today we woke up early and caught a taxi to the Garden of Gethsemane. The weather was boiling hot at a temperature of 40 degrees celcius.When we arrived we had to pay an entrance fee of 10 Israeli Shekels. As we walked inside the big stone walls we stood there in amazement thinking of how beatuiful the garden was. It was breath taking. We were about to go and explore, when a man came up to us and started yelling at us in Hebrew. He eventually figured out that we did not speak Hebrew. So he started talking to us in English and explained that if we follow the arrows on the trees that we would find a memorial stone showing the place where Jesus prayed. So we decided to take his advice and we followed the arrows.
Finally when we arrived, there was a gaint statue of Jesus, with a plaque under his feet that said: THIS IS WHERE JESUS PRAYED. We then had lunch on a bench seat near the statue of Jesus. For lunch we had a sandwich and a chocolate bar. YUMMY!
We then caught another taxi to the Dead Sea. There we got changed into our swimmers and followed along with the local people covering ourselves in mud. We were the mud monsters. The Dead Sea mud contains high levels of magnesium, calcium, potassium, strontium, boron and iron. Making the mud very good for our skin.
Because of how much salt there is in the water we spent a long time relaxing and reading magazines while floating in the water. We then saw a sign for stand up paddle board lessons, and we thought that it didn't sound to hard because the board would float very well. We payed 20 Israeli Shekels for a hour lesson. It may look easy but it definitly wasn't.
Amelia fell of first as she was getting on I then tried to get on and did the same. After an hour had passed we were very tired from our lesson. We caught another cab back to the hotel.
Our hotel had an old style and is apparently 200 years old. Inside and along the corridors it has torch shaped lights hanging from the stone walls. For dinner we had a meal with fish and bread. It was very delicious. We then went to bed. Goodnight.
Day 2 The Shepherds Field, Church and Chapel
23.2.2013
Today we woke up at 9:30 after a nice long refreshing sleep. Our muscles were very sore and stiff. We had some toast, bacon and eggs for breakfast. We caught a sightseeing bus today so that we could learn about all the different buildings. We got off at the second stop, Shepherds fields. There we saw many people walking up and down fields with their sheep. We walked along the grassy fields for a little while before coming to a large stone courtyard. Inside the courtyard was many gardens full of plants. There was also lots of markets along the outsides of the courtyard selling things that people had made from straw and grass woven together. We had our photo taken and then a woman wove two people that looked like us, they even had a hand grip that if you hold them together you could make them hold hands.
We then walked up some stones steps into a big Church with a stone shepherd out the front above the door. We went in. The church was circular with a domed roof. Inside were three big paintings. The centre painting was of the nativity. Either side were pictures of shepherds seeing the star and angels that announced Jesus' birth. The church was quite small with a large altar in the middle of the marble floor, and wooden bench seats around the outside.
We walked back outside to the courtyard where we went down some stairs leading to a small chapel cut into the rock like a cave. Inside the chapel was all made of stone. The floor had been tiled and some stone steps had been built for seating, but basically this was a church in a cave. The ceiling had a few dangling lights from the rocks.
`On the way home we stopped at a little restuarant and had some food which tasted nice although we werent sure what it was.
Day 3 City of Mosaic
24.2.2013
Unfortunately today is our last day on the Armchair Tour of the Land of Jesus. So we will finish our trip with a memorable visit to Madaba, also known as the ‘City of Mosaic.’ Madaba is best known for its beautiful mosaic work especially the 6th century Mosaic Map of the Holy Land and Jerusalem which covers the floor of the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George.
It was a dusty, bumpy bus ride on the Old Kings Highway; we thought we would never arrive. Our first stop was to the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George to see the mosaic map. We were blown way with the vivid colour of the stone pieces. Our tour guide told us that the mosaic has 2 million pieces. The map shows hills, valleys, villages and towns as far as the Nile Delta. It is the oldest known map of the Holy Land.
Our next two stops were to two very old churches, the Church of the Apostles which had a lovely mosaic of dancing pigeons and then the Church of the Virgin which had lots of wonderful mosaics. Our guide told us that Madaba was an old town that existed during bible times and it was important during the Christian era.
We sat outside the church with our tour group, our guide had organised a picnic lunch so that we could try some local food. We ate Ara'yes - spicy mincemeat wrapped in flatbread and we had some lime mint juice to drink. But the best was the sweets, I tried the Harisa and Keely had the Halawa. After lunch we heading off to our last stop, the Archaeological Museum. This little museum has lots of interesting pieces which show a variety of pictures like flowers, plants, birds, fish, animals and different types of activities like hunting, fishing and farming. There are also well preserved houses and pieces of mosaics that have been bought here from different places.
We were exhausted, after all the walking that we had done and couldn’t wait until we got on the bus for our trip back to the hotel. Keely was asleep even before the bus left.
Monday, 11 February 2013
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