Breathing with Two Lungs

One of the great blessings we have here in Gaming is that we have both Eastern and Western rites of the Catholic church who at times pray in their unique own manner and at times worship together.

In fact, I am an Eastern rite Catholic--Armenian Catholic to be exact. It is often odd to me when I talk to others who think that to be Catholic is to be Roman Catholic. An interesting fact is that most Catholics from the USA do not know that there are over 23 rites in the Catholic church, with Roman being only one of the many.

While baby Dominic was born over 4 months ago, we wanted to have him baptized as soon as possible, but it so happened that when we flew back to America for the summer, the Armenian Catholic Priest was in Europe, so we just missed one another. Heeding the plea of our late Pope John Paul II who urged Eastern rite catholics to remain in their respective rites and to preserve this precious heritage in one's family, we decided it best to wait until an Armenian Catholic Priest was available.

There is actually an Armenian Catholic Monastery of Monks in Vienna. They are called Mekitarists after their founding father Mekitar. This is where we headed on Saturday to have the baptism and confirmation--christening they call it in the east.

It was a beautiful experience with rich symbolism and melodic chanting. Listening to the chant and hearing the prayers, one could still sense the presence of the Holy Spirit and that a beautiful and awesome mystery was taking place.

What is also somewhat striking to American Roman Catholics is the role of the "Godfather" in such a baptism. For baby Dominic, the Godfather had to respond and assert the faith. He is required to hold the baby, profess his vows, and sign all the paperwork. In the priest's thundering and memorable words, "He has duties to fulfill."

It was a tremendous joy and blessing, and now our little Dominic is part of the faithful. He has joined the millions before him and the countless others to go after him.

I was reminded as with St. Peter's Basilica, that baptism begins as a baby but continues on until death. It is a daily yes to God, a rejection of evil, and a ardent desire to be with God in heaven!