Spencer and Shayanne Beck looked forward to the day this past March when their beautiful daughter Melanie Rose would be baptized and welcomed as a child of God into the parish family of Queenship of Mary, Northampton.
The Baptism, rescheduled three times due to the pandemic, was held recently.
Now that the faithful are allowed to attend Masses again, people can return to the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. That is the case for Baptism too, because the merciful Christ really is present in all of the Sacraments.
“I’m just thankful that her dress still fits,” said Shayanne. “We are so happy to be here to celebrate Melanie. This is really special for us.”
Deacon Michael Doncsecz, who also works as the pastoral assistant, has the privilege of officiating at parish Baptisms.
“I meet with the family and go over Baptism prep ahead of time,” he said. Prebaptismal sessions are required for parents. “They come for one or two sessions, and we talk,” he said.
“For some families who have been away, this is a good time to get them to come back to church,” he said. “The Baptism of a child is many times the starting point for families to come back to the Sacraments.
“They become aware of the importance of what lies beyond baptism and what they have been missing. Families want what is good for their children. Baptism gives Jesus an opportunity to draw us close and invite us into his family. He makes His presence felt.”
During his brief homily, Deacon Doncsecz said, “Today we plant a seed. We want to nourish that seed and help it to grow. Our faith is the most important gift we can give to our children.”