Child Dedication, Naming, Christening/Baptism Ceremonies

At some point following the birth of your first child you as a couple are faced with a series of questions…

•With what beliefs or values do we want to raise our child?

•Is there a specific humanistic, religious or spiritual tradition that supports our life that we want to introduce him/her to? If so, what is our commitment to this child?

Before you simply go thru the motions of a rite of initiation, you as a couple need to have a full discussion about the beliefs and values that you hope to pass on to your child. As a first step in the creation of this dedication ceremony, I offer you the opportunity to meet for a two hour consultation to discover your core beliefs and hopes for your child. This discussion leads us to co-create a dedication ceremony that captures those beliefs and hopes. This customized ceremony may have traditional elements of a christening ceremony, an indigenous naming ceremony or a statement of your commitments regarding your child. It will usually have readings that anchor your beliefs and invite other family and friends to join you in raising this child with conscience values and beliefs. It really underlines that it takes “a community to raise a child”.

My Perspective: In every culture a child is welcomed with some kind of ceremony: baptism, christening, naming. Whatever the tradition or ritual, the central point of such a ceremony is to acknowledge the sacredness of life, and the uniqueness of that particular child. My belief is that

Every child has come to us straight from the heart of our creator. He/she comes as the cCreators gift of unconditional love to us. Each child is born in original blessing. It is our job to teach the child what it means to live in “original blessing”. The child’s presence in our life invites us to remember our connection to our CREATOR the source of unconditional love.

Memorials

At the time of a death of a loved one, individuals and families are faced with one of the ultimate questions of life. Whether you come from a culture or tradition that has firm beliefs about this ultimate transition, or from one that lives in the emerging question of the unknown… it is important to celebrate the life of the person who has passed. My role at this time is to lend support through this process by offering counsel and assisting the family in creating a meaningful ceremony that captures the truth of that person’s journey. I seek to support you and your family through your process of grieving and healing through the readings, ritual and words of comfort that are appropriate to you.