BARROW: Discovering my sign of faith and Baptism

A stained glass window inside St. Thérèse Chapel at Holy Hill in Hubertus, Wis., depicts the baptism of St. Thérèse of Lisieux at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Alencon, France. (OSV News photo/Sam Lucero)

My dear mother taught my siblings and me all of our basic prayers, and the first I learned from her was making the Sign of the Cross. It is probably the most repetitive of prayers in our faith and can, at times, be overlooked or perhaps rushed through so that we can get to the activity, meal or in the pew as we take our seat during Mass. As we recall the celebration of the Lord Jesus’ Baptism in the Jordan River by John let’s take a moment and contemplate our Baptism and the sign of our faith.

Over the years, I have come to appreciate the simplicity and power of the Sign of the Cross as prayer, and I often encourage college students I encounter to take a moment and consciously focus on the words as they say them. I also, as a personal reflection, close my eyes, bow my head, contemplate and recite the words. I often ask students the question, do you remember your Baptism, or do you remember your parents or padrinos (Godparents) sharing pictures or stories about that day? What about the day you learned the Sign of the Cross? What I have discovered is that these questions help to open students to deeply personal conversations, and it allows me, as a campus minister, to connect the story of salvation to their lives.

Do you know the date of your Baptism or when you learned to make the Sign of the Cross for the first time? We all know our birthdays, work, weddings and ordination anniversaries, but what about the day you were baptized? I discovered the date of my Baptism when I requested sacramental records from the parish of my childhood a few years ago. In 1974, on Dec. 8, I was baptized on a Sunday. This past year, on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I celebrated my Baptism.

The celebration was personal and private, but I made time to think about my life and how it all began many years ago. In 2024, Dec. 8 is on a Sunday, the actual day of the week I was baptized by Father Anthony Frommholz, C.S.Sp. — may he rest in peace. I share the story of my baptismal discovery as a prompt for starting 2024 with an additional resolution.

Perhaps you already know the day you were baptized and remember when you learned to make the Sign of the Cross. If you do not, try to locate that baptismal certificate. What is the date? What about the name of the bishop, priest or deacon who administered the Sacrament? Was it a parent, grandparent or catechist who taught you your first prayers? I pray that what you discover in your search will strengthen you as a disciple of Jesus Christ as you begin a new year.

The last thing I recall my mother doing in the final hours of her earthly life was making the Sign of the Cross. The priest visiting her asked her if she could do it, and with every bit of strength left, she signed herself. It was at that moment, once again, that I remembered it was the first prayer she taught me and how grateful I was for her and my dad having me baptized. 

Doris M. Barrow III is the campus minister of the Newman Center at Texas Southern University in the Office of Young Adult and Campus Ministry.