HawkTalk
Beyond NY Christian Grotewold

Guatemalan Encounters: Bella’s Baptism

Bella and I
Bella and I

This past weekend my family and I did something that I hold very dear to my heart: We baptized my youngest cousin, Bella. She was born last December, so I feared that I would not be there for her baptism since I only come to Guatemala during the summer and winter break. But thankfully, I was here to see my little princess be blessed by God.

It was a small ceremony with only family and close friends. The baptism of my cousin took place along with another five babies or so. At first I thought we would have a whole church to ourselves, but then I saw unfamiliar faces and saw many more babies all dressed in white. It amazed me that every single person inside the church was dressed in their finest clothes. It proves that we all hold our families very dear.

Bella being blessed across her heart
Bella being blessed across her heart
The Original Sin has been washed away
The Original Sin has been washed away

The ceremony began, and since it has been around six years since my last cousin was born, I didn't remember what the ceremony consisted of. The first thing that went on during the ceremony was that the parents of the baby had to choose a saint to take care of the baby. Once all the families had said their saints, they began to call the babies to be blessed across their hearts. After this, the holy water was poured on their heads to wash away the Original Sin. The last thing that had to be done for this ceremony was to light a candle. This candle was then passed from the father to the mother to the godfather and godmother.

Bella and her parents
Bella and her parents

The ceremony of light was then complete, and Bella was ready to begin her life as a Catholic. I was so excited to see my little cousin looking beautiful and blessed.

This made me feel so eager to be a father someday... But that is a long way from where I am.