Welcome to the website of the Anglican Parish of Prince William, Dumfries, Queensbury, and Southampton. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and discovering a little bit about our parish. The Parish of Prince William follows the Safe Church polices as outlined by the Dioceses. Father David Mercer, Priest in Charge 454-9998 dmercer98@bellaliant.net
To find out more about us, please click on the About us link. News & EventsService of Holy Eucharist each Sunday at St Clements Church Dumfries 11 AM THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY SUNDAY The Catechism in the Prayer Book tells us it is ”An Instruction to be learned be every person before he or she be brought to be Confirmed by the Bishop”. The Catechism is an old method of learning that was used to teach. The word catechism means “to learn by echoing back”. It is a method of learning by question and answer. The first section of the Catechism is entitled “The Baptismal Covenant” A covenant is an agreement to which the parties agree and promise to keep. This agreement is entered into on the assumption that those who make the promises will honour those promises. The Church has baptized all who come seeking it. Anyone who is baptized is asked if they repent of their sins and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. They are also asked if they are willing to live the Christian Life. It makes sense that these questions can be asked of adults but how can or does the Church justify the Baptism of children. It is obvious that children and in particular infants cannot make such promises. In order to answer this question we need to take a step back and examine what actually takes place in baptism itself. The Catechism tells us that in Baptism a person is “made a member of Christ, a child of God and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven.” If something is ‘made” something or someone must have made it because nothing makes itself. Baptism is something that is do done to you by someone else. We believe that baptism is a Sacrament and the Catechism tells us that a Sacrament is “an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace”. We also believe that it effects what it symbolizes. In other words, it actually does what the sign appears to do. The sign in a sacrament is the physical element, in this case the physical sign is water. The phrase that is used to describe what takes place in Baptism is “regeneration”. The term means “to be born again”. In our Lord’s conversation with Nicodemus Jesus tells him that he must be “born again”. (Saint John 3 v. 5). When Saint Paul writes his letter to Titus he calls Baptism the “washing of regeneration” (Titus 3 v. 5). Saint Peter goes even further, he tells us that as the ark saves Noah and his family from the waters of destruction, so “Baptism which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 3 v. 21). What does all this mean? God acts through the physical medium of water to convey his Grace and recreates us as new beings freed from the “Sin of Adam.” As the result of the waters of Baptism we are made new creatures. We are regenerate in Christ. It is very important to remember in all of this that this is something that God does to us. Baptism is a God action. What then is our role in all of this? The word to describe our role is “Conversion.” The word conversion come from the Latin word “convertio” and means “To turn around”. Conversion results from an act of our will. You or I decide to change, to turn away from evil and to the good. We are converted every day of our lives, dare I say every hour, every minute. As a result of this, we baptize children, we baptize babies because the sooner we enter into the New Covenant the sooner we begin to grow in God’s Grace. Remember that it is God that acts in Baptism. We have Godparents who take on the responsibility for seeing that the child is brought up in the Faith and is led to live the Christian Life. They promise to be sure that the child be brought up in the Faith and in time be Confirmed by the Bishop in order that they may take Communion and take their part in the life of the Church. In Baptism promises are made by Godparents, by Parents and by the Church Community that they will do all in their power to see that this child will be brought up in the Faith of the Church. I wonder what often happens after Baptism. When I talk to Parents and Godparents about the promises that they make at the child’s Baptism they often become very defensive. In fact I have been told that it is none of my business. But it is my business as the Parish Priest. Promises have been made and these promises have to do with eternal life and the spiritual life of all of us. These promises are some of the most important that we will ever make.We are and should |
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