Help support the families of the newly baptized
SARA JONCKHEERE
You have asked to have your child baptized. … Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?” This question is asked of parents who present their child for Baptism, and it can seem like a daunting task when parents respond yes. Raising a child to love and know Jesus can be a hard and sometimes overwhelming job, but parents are not doing it alone. Yes, they have the support of the godparents, but the whole parish community is also joining in that yes to help the parents with this task.
Making these welcome cards for the newly baptized will help those families know the love and support of the parish community.
Supplies Needed
■ Card stock
■ White scrap material
■ Glue
■ Scissors
■ Colored pencils, markers, crayons
Assembly
1. Fold the card stock in half (vertically or horizontally)
2. Cut a baptismal garment out of the white fabric. Depending on the age of your students,
you could do this ahead of time or draw out the outline on the fabric for them to cut. Depending on the type of fabric you are using, fabric scissors — super sharp, be careful! — might be necessary.
3. Glue the white garment onto the card.
4. Use the markers, crayons, or pencils to draw the newly baptized member of the Church in the white garment. Add details to the pictures such as parents, godparents, baptismal font, the priest, and so on.
5. Add a title to the card, such as “Welcome to the Church,” “Welcome to Our Family,” or “We Welcome You with Great Joy.”
Create the cards
Once the welcome cards are dry, have students write a message to the new member. These messages should be generic enough that they could be passed out to anyone on their Baptism day, yet heartfelt enough that the newly baptized member and their family know how much their community is supporting them.
It might be helpful to brainstorm some ideas, sentence starters, or key vocabulary words students to refer to when creating their cards.
Remember that not everyone baptized at the church will be an infant. Have students create some cards featuring older children and adults that could be distributed after the Easter Vigil.
Once the cards are complete, make arrangements with the parish office to have one card given to each family along with their baptismal certificate.
IDEAS FOR YOUNGER STUDENTS:
For the youngest of learners, have a message pre-written or typed in the card and have students decorate the cover of the card.
IDEAS FOR OLDER STUDENTS:
Allow students to write their cards in Adoration, invoking the Holy Spirit to help them with
their message.
Let us pray
Dear Heavenly Father, we lift up to you our newly baptized brothers and sisters. Help us to live virtuous lives that set an example of what the Christian life looks like to our newest
members. Let the newly baptized and their families know that they are not alone because
we are here to walk with them on this journey. Amen.
Sara Jonckheere, MA, is an elementary school teacher turned work-at-home mom. Creating digital curriculum and resources, she shares teaching ideas at SaraJCreations.com.
