Baby-Naming-Baptism | The Interfaith Union

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Making Our Way to Shore - A Celebration of Hebrew Naming and Baptism - by Eileen O'Farrell Smith

	This new book explores the roots of Jewish and Christian Rites of Initiation in a meaningful and purposeful way for interfaith families who are looking for a way to integrate two sacred religious traditions in their homes. Additionally, the sacred Hebrew Naming ceremony in combination with the Rite of Christian Baptism is presented as a template for those looking to celebrate this rite of welcoming. Other chapters include an overview of the current literature addressing the needs of Catholic Jewish families; commonly asked questions and answers that interfaith couples face; practical tools that young interfaith families can use as they "grow" their family into faith and a resource section on helpful books and websites.
Eileen O'Farrell Smith is an Irish Catholic from New York, recently widowed from Stephen Smith a Jewish man from Boston, home of his beloved World Champion Red Sox. In 1995, she was awarded a 4-year grant from Lilly Endowment to study how religious faith is formed in children with a Catholic Jewish parent. As a result of that work and her commitment to interfaith families, she was awarded a grant in 2001 from the ACTA Foundation to write this text. She is the proud mother of three awesome young adults. In the fall of 2008, she will be attending graduate school, having recently been named a Bernardin Scholar at The Catholic Theological Union, a prestigious honor in the name and legacy of the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin.

Since 1991, families and clergy have created and celebrated ceremonies to welcome and bless our children in a religious context with a Catholic Priest and Rabbi as Co-Presiders. These ceremonies are spiritual moments, created in the spirit of finding new pathways for interfaith families to share their traditions.

For some couples, their ceremony makes the statement about the religious identity of their child, either in one faith tradition or another, or sometimes both.

For others, it is an expression of thanks to God for new life and the wish to beseech God's blessing on their family. Our goal is to respond to each family and to help them discover a ritual that is authentic to their own vision of faith and life.

As the program has evolved over the past twelve years, we have realized the importance of preparation, community and education, prior to the ceremony. To that end, we invite all families, those expecting a child or those with children to join us at the monthly “Under 5” meetings: we invite you to be a member of The Interfaith Union. We have discovered attendance at these meetings to be of great value to those contemplating Rites of Initiation (as well as the lovely likelihood of making a new friend!).

Ceremonies are scheduled throughout the year at St. Anne's in Barrington, Old St. Patrick's in Chicago and Lakeside Congregation in Highland Park

Should you decide to proceed with the scheduling of a ceremony date, please check the calendar below. Once you have chosen a ceremony date, you will be asked to attend a mandatory preparation meeting, usually scheduled three-four weeks prior to your ceremony.

At this time, you will have the opportunity to meet with your Site Coordinator, to ask questions regarding the practical aspects of the ceremony (e.g. where do I stand, what should the baby/child wear, etc) as well as the profound (what is the theology of Baptism and am I ready to proceed?) and to meet other families participating at the same time. Please know there is a maximum of four families at one time.

There is a fee for this service. We ask a payment of $375.00, for which all expenses to clergy, etc. will be paid.

We are thrilled to welcome Sarah Collete Freshwater, born May 27, 2009. Congratulations to Amy, Jay and Rachel!

Please contact Amy Freshwater the Ceremony Coordinator at afreshwater@ameritech.net for more information and scheduling.

Hebrew Naming Baptism Calendar for 2013

	Where	Time	Clergy
February 9	St. Anne’s	Saturday 1:00 pm	Rev. Bernie Pietrzak & Rabbi Misha Tillman
April 28	Old St. Patrick’s	Sunday 2:00pm	Rev. Tom Hurley & Rabbi Ike Serotta
April 28	Old St. Patrick’s	Sunday 3:00pm	Rev. Tom Hurley & Rabbi Ike Serotta
May 11	St. Anne's	Saturday 1:00pm	Rev. Bernie Pietrzak & Rabbi Misha Tillman
May 11	St. Anne's	Saturday 2:00pm	Rev. Bernie Pietrzak & Rabbi Misha Tillman
August 10	St. Anne's	Saturday 1:00pm	Rev. Bernie Pietrzak & Rabbi Misha Tillman
August 11	Old St. Patrick's	Sunday 2:00pm	Rev. Tom Hurley & Rabbi Ike Serotta
August 11	Old St. Patrick's	Sunday 3:00pm	Rev. Tom Hurley & Rabbi Ike Serotta
November 9	St. Anne's	Saturday 1:00pm	Rev. Bernie Pietrzak & Rabbi Misha Tillman
November 9	St. Anne's	Saturday 2:00pm	Rev. Bernie Pietrzak & Rabbi Misha Tillman