So our priest denied our daughter's baptism...

[fire400]

Don't worry too much about it or the trash that people are ranting about. Just be positive and hopeful for the future. Nothing is perfect, unforunately that's life, but it doesn't mean give up and forget about people. Greatest commandment is to love, never easy, but always most rewarding.

 

[AnnonUSA]

I don't want to feel, when I baptize a baby, that I'm like a priest who has been asked to marry a couple who have told him they want to get married for, maybe financial reasons, but don't really love one another. If I'm going to perform a baptism I want to know that the parents are seriously about TRYING to live a Christian life and that Eucharist (Mass) is a significant part of it because that makes the baptism genuine and sincere and I know that the faith will get passed on, which is at the heart of the commitment parents make at a baptism.

Translation: The Church needs you to make a large donation.

The Church is Insane. Today, I attended a Funeral Mass for The Mom of my brother in law.

When it came time to Receive communion, I took the host in my hand and began to walk back to my pew, where I would eat it.
Halfway back to the pew, i become aware of the Priest calling out "Excuse me! Excuse Me!" As I come to realize it is me he is yelling across the church at, he makes a motion to me to put the host in my mouth! Like what was I going to do? Sell it to someone? Shit.

I am so in awe already at the voodoo rituals of organized religion, I really do this just to not get the Ire of family members that are still disillusioned into believing the Correctness of their religion... Last time was today, never again. The Church hides and pardons Child rapists but I cannot carry the body of Christ (LOL) back to my seat!

 

[Wyndru]

Did he actually say no? Seems like he wants to know the baby will be brought up in the religion. Perhaps you could speak to him in person and explain what you told us in the OP? I didn't know priests used email, does he have a .god domain?

He pulled the "we cannot accommodate your request" bit. They had a merger between 2 churches, and church has been standing room only lately because of this, so I wonder if this has something to do with it.

Regarding the email, he was on vacation for the last month, so that was how he communicated with us.

 

[preCRT]

If your daughter's baptism is truly is important to you:

1. go over his head, appeal to a higher authority

2. tell him if he refuses you'll take her to be baptized by the Baptists. He'll have lost her forever.

3. Go to the newspapers. They'll love this story and splash it across the paper. First the Catholic Church won't protect kids from molesting priests, now they won't baptize babies.

 

[Perknose]

No, it's all about money and power. By not attending on a regular basis, and presumably not tithing your 10%, you're not a paying customer...

There is no tithing in the Catholic Church, none. You can go to church as often as you wish and even take the body of Christ every Sunday as long as you've confessed your sins, without ever being requires by Catholic doctrine to contribute one red cent.

That's not to say they didn't used to have 4-5 different contributions during mass back in the day, just that Boomer isn't correct about the reason.

Oh . . . OP, your priest is an ass. I'll bet you could take his response up the hierarchy, beyond the mere parish level, and get it overturned. They want and need members.

You could also go to the next Catholic Church over, and more than likely find a sympathetic and cooperative ear.

Again, the priest who sent you that e-mail is an ass.

 

[PowerEngineer]

I don't want to feel, when I baptize a baby, that I'm like a priest who has been asked to marry a couple who have told him they want to get married for, maybe financial reasons, but don't really love one another. If I'm going to perform a baptism I want to know that the parents are seriously about TRYING to live a Christian life and that Eucharist (Mass) is a significant part of it because that makes the baptism genuine and sincere and I know that the faith will get passed on, which is at the heart of the commitment parents make at a baptism.

Well... Your priest does have a point.

I'm pretty sure that Catholics still believe that missing Mass on Sundays is itself a 'mortal' sin. If so, then your casual attitude toward regular attendance means to him that you and your wife are bound for hell until/unless you repent and mend you ways.

Having dedicated his life to bringing people to Christ and salvation, you've got to remember he really believes all this -- really, he does! He doesn't see the sacraments as 'nice to do' social/family ocassions. He sees them as milestones in the life/salvation of church members.

Unless you're 'all in' on everything the Catholics believe, then maybe you aren't entitled to participate in rites or sacraments reserved for Catholics. I'd suggest that it's even disrespectful of their beliefs to do so.

(For the record, I am an agnostic.)

 

[Wyndru]

If your daughter's baptism is truly is important to you:

1. go over his head, appeal to a higher authority

2. tell him if he refuses you'll take her to be baptized by the Baptists. He'll have lost her forever.

3. Go to the newspapers. They'll love this story and splash it across the paper. First the Catholic Church won't protect kids from molesting priests, now they won't baptize babies.

I'm actually going to talk to him in person, I'm hoping that I can convince him that we plan on attending more frequently as a family. I'll switch parishes if he still has an issue.

 

[jpeyton]

Your priest is doing you a favor.

Abandon religion. Teach your daughter to be a good person without indoctrinating her with fairy-tale sermons.

 

[theflyingpig]

Your priest is doing you a favor.

Abandon religion. Teach your daughter to be a good person without indoctrinating her with fairy-tale sermons.

You really should go back to using the American flag as your avatar.

 

[olds]

No, it's all about money and power. By not attending on a regular basis, and presumably not tithing your 10%, you're not a paying customer...

This.
Everyone knows this.

 

[jiggahertz]

Translation: The Church needs you to make a large donation.

The Church is Insane. Today, I attended a Funeral Mass for The Mom of my brother in law.

When it came time to Receive communion, I took the host in my hand and began to walk back to my pew, where I would eat it.
Halfway back to the pew, i become aware of the Priest calling out "Excuse me! Excuse Me!" As I come to realize it is me he is yelling across the church at, he makes a motion to me to put the host in my mouth! Like what was I going to do? Sell it to someone? Shit.

I am so in awe already at the voodoo rituals of organized religion, I really do this just to not get the Ire of family members that are still disillusioned into believing the Correctness of their religion... Last time was today, never again. The Church hides and pardons Child rapists but I cannot carry the body of Christ (LOL) back to my seat!

Did you receive your first holy communion in a catholic church? I've never seen anyone try to do this in the ~10 years I attended a catholic church. Sounds like you were either not aware of the custom or trying to be different/difficult.

 

[KK]

Ask the pedophile how much money it would take to be in good standing.

 

[db]

The Minister knows that this is a way he can coerce you, b/c you want s/t from him and he doesn't have to give it to you.

Is this something Jesus would do? Um, No.

 

[Perknose]

When it came time to Receive communion, I took the host in my hand and began to walk back to my pew, where I would eat it.
Halfway back to the pew, i become aware of the Priest calling out "Excuse me! Excuse Me!" As I come to realize it is me he is yelling across the church at, he makes a motion to me to put the host in my mouth! Like what was I going to do? Sell it to someone? Shit.

I left Catholic school AND the Catholic Church after 5th grade and never looked back. I completely rejected it.

However, what YOU did was ignorant and offensive. You, as I, can disagree with and dislike the church all you wish, but there is zero excuse for your behavior inside their house of worship.

Your apparent ignorance is no excuse. To that priest and to everyone who was in that church when you did what you did, accepting that wafer into your mouth while kneeling at the altar is the literal body of Christ.

Your waltzing away with it was fucking IGNORANT.

Furthermore, no one not in a state of grace, ie, no one who has NOT been to confession prior to accepting this SACRAMENT and who not sinned at all since that confession may take part in this holy SACRAMENT.

You going up and helping yourself was BEYOND IGNORANT.

It was akin to waltzing into a mosque with your shoes on.

You don't like or agree with Islam, fine, but there is no need to be an ass in their house.

Same with Catholics.

When you enter another's house, any civilized, non-boorish asshole abides by that owner's rules, requests, mores and customs. This goes double and triple for any house of worship.

You fucked up big time, and there is no excuse for your ignorance.

Grow up and admit this to yourself.

 

[JEDI]

I'm kind of annoyed. The wife and I are Roman Catholic, and the reasoning was that we don't visit every week. I'll admit, we are pretty lax, we go on major religious holidays, probably about 6 times a year.

We fully intended on our daughter getting her baptism and eventually confirmation and attending fairly regularly while she is growing up. Yet we are actually being denied, and she is being punished because of our lack of attendance. I was baptized, confirmed and married at this parish too.

What I don't understand is that churches keep complaining about lack of parishioners, yet they push you away if you aren't dedicated to a weekly commitment.

wtf.

Sorry, I had to write this here to get it out, I'm still trying to cool down a bit before I email the priest back.

/rant

why need a priest?

circumcism is easy to perform on her yourself

 

[BassBomb]

why need a priest?

Circumcism is easy to perfrom on her yourself

lol

 

[slayer202]

if you go to church 6 times a year, you shouldn't bother with baptizing her. priest is right. just consider yourself lucky you don't have to bother with that shit

 

[Sa7aN]

I'm actually going to talk to him in person, I'm hoping that I can convince him that we plan on attending more frequently as a family. I'll switch parishes if he still has an issue.

for when you go over his head

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Archdiocese_of_New_York

 

[Anubis]

my parents had the same thing happen to them 30 years ago. Priest at their church wouldn't do it for similar reasons for my sister as well he wanted my parents to promise to raise her strict this and that. they went to a different church to get it done. They didn't bother with my brother or I, we were never baptized

 

[guyver01]

i'll baptize her for ya... $9.95/gallon.

 

[JEDI]

my parents had the same thing happen to them 30 years ago. Priest at their church wouldn't do it for similar reasons for my sister as well he wanted my parents to promise to raise her strict this and that. they went to a different church to get it done. They didn't bother with my brother or I, we were never baptized

and now you have the NoLifer status.

imagine how your life could have been better if you were baptised and encouraged to follow the path of God.

It's not too late...

 

[soulcougher73]

That's what my mother in law said, but the thing is we plan on going as a family, just through our 20's we weren't really going as much.

His email to us basically says, you aren't welcome because you have not been faithful to our parish, which to me defeats the purpose of the catholic church.

I thought our religion was all about forgiveness .

And thus you have realized what religion is all about. Eyes wide shut

 

[Anubis]

and now you have the NoLifer status.

imagine how your life could have been better if you were baptised and encouraged to follow the path of God.

It's not too late...

yea ill get right on that :twisted:

 

[soulcougher73]

If you want to guilt him into it, ask him what would happen if she died without the sacrament of baptism or if its fair to blame her for the sins of her father???

It is what God did with all of us because of Adam and Eve. What is good for God must be good for us LOL

 

[Malak]

His email to us basically says, you aren't welcome because you have not been faithful to our parish, which to me defeats the purpose of the catholic church.

I thought our religion was all about forgiveness .

Maybe you misunderstood the purpose of the catholic church.