Catholics do not believe that Baptism is symbolic. Baptism is one of the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church. The rite of baptism of children is when the child is presented by parents and godparents who represent the wider Christian community and who are to help the parents in their task of raising the child in the faith. THROUGHOUT the ceremony, THE PARENTS SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE CHILD and themselves, renewing their own baptismal vows. To answer the original question about "sponsor"......By the third century, the Christian community developed a more complex way of bringing new members to baptism and faith. It was one that offered previous training in the faith and in the new way of living. When people were interested in becoming Christians, they were presented to the leaders of the community by a friend or "sponsor." Before they would be baptized, however, they would spend two or three years learning about their new faith. They would study the scriptures, pray with the community, perform acts of service and charity and attend the Eucharist, leaving after the readings and the sermon. It continues...... Margaret Driskill

Thanks Margaret, Your efforts are well appreciated. Sincerely Rhonda ----- Original Message ----- From: Margaret Driskill <mdriskill@worldnet.att.net> To: <VA-SOUTHSIDE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, June 01, 2001 3:56 PM Subject: [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] Original question > Catholics do not believe that Baptism is symbolic. Baptism is one of the > Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church. > > The rite of baptism of children is when the child is presented by parents > and godparents who represent the wider Christian community and who are to > help the parents in their task of raising the child in the faith. > THROUGHOUT the ceremony, THE PARENTS SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE CHILD and > themselves, renewing their own baptismal vows. > > To answer the original question about "sponsor"......By the third century, > the Christian community developed a more complex way of bringing new members > to baptism and faith. It was one that offered previous training in the > faith and in the new way of living. When people were interested in becoming > Christians, they were presented to the leaders of the community by a friend > or "sponsor." Before they would be baptized, however, they would spend two > or three years learning about their new faith. They would study the > scriptures, pray with the community, perform acts of service and charity and > attend the Eucharist, leaving after the readings and the sermon. It > continues...... > > Margaret Driskill > > > ==== VA-SOUTHSIDE Mailing List ==== > VAGenWeb http://www.rootsweb.com/~vagenweb > > > ============================== > Visit Ancestry.com for a FREE 14-Day Trial and enjoy access to the #1 > Source for Family History Online. Go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/subscribe/subscribetrial1y.asp?sourcecode=F11HB > >