| Baptism Formula |
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The minister who baptizes someone calls the person by name and says these words: “_______, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” That sentence is called the “baptismal formula.” It is to be said while performing an action: either immersing the person in water three times or pouring water over the person three times – once at each mention of a person of the Trinity. The formula can be traced to the conclusion of the Gospel of Matthew, where Jesus commands the disciples to go out to all the world, baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (28:19). Although there is some evidence in Acts of the Apostles for Baptism in the name of Jesus, the Catholic Church has long endorsed the Trinitarian formula. In recent years, some have proposed an alternative formula, baptizing in the name of the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Sanctifier, or even the Creator, the Liberator, and the Sustainer. The Catholic Church does not recognize the validity of such Baptisms because they veer too far from the traditional formula. The proposed formulas seem to promote gender-neutral names for the Trinity, but they express functions of the divine persons, not their names. Because the traditional formula for Baptism appears in the Gospels, the Catholic Church strongly holds that it must be maintained. Those who were baptized with an alternative formula should present themselves to the Church for Baptism with the traditional formula. Ordinarily, Baptism is performed by a priest or a deacon. In emergencies, anyone may baptized, even a nonbeliever, as long as he or she uses the formula, performs the action, and has the right intention. ... Excerpt from Ministry & Liturgy |