A Jewish/Catholic baby naming ceremony

On Friday, March 03, 2006 I told you about our friends A. & W.’s Jewish AND Catholic wedding; they have since had a son, and this past Saturday we were invited to a naming ceremony. It was neither a brit milah, nor a Catholic baptism. Texts were read from the bible, candles were lit, blessings were given, songs were sung and we all said the prayer “our Father” together. It was a personal and joyful ceremony. Coming from 2 different traditions, both of strong faith, our friends A. & W. combine their religious practices in an admirable fashion. I can understand their desire to let Joachim decide for himself, as soon as he is old enough to do so, which religious practice he chooses to follow; it must, at the same time, as a catholic, be a difficult decision to make not to have your child baptized.

By Lovain