Kiel's Baptism

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Note: I know this post is waaaay overdue but I still wanted to post it anyway because I want to document everything in Kiel's life. So pardon me if this event happened 2 years back.

"In the Catholic Church, infants are baptized to welcome them into the Catholic faith and to free them from the original sin they were born with."

Being both Catholic we are as his parents, we knew how important this sacrament is to him. Also, sabi ng matatanda, it is not advised to bring your child to the outside world unless he has been baptized first. There's nothing wrong with superstitions naman but there's also no harm in following them. So on his 4th month, after bringing him out a few times because of the necessary pedia consultations and bringing him to the mall (a few times lang naman), Kiel received the sacrament of Baptism.

We chose the ceremony to be held at Saint John Paul II Parish. It is a small but beautiful chapel located inside Eatwood City in Libis, Quezon City. Despite being located in a busy and bustling environment, the church still has that calm ambience and holy vibe. Aside from the serenity and exclusivity of church, the location was also ideal for us since it is near our home and Eastwood itself has lots of restaurants and food establishments to offer. That means more options for us for the reception after the baptism.

We scheduled the date at the church's office and paid P2,000. No seminars need to be attended. However, our chosen ninongs and ninangs need to submit a copy of their Baptismal Certificate. This was such a hassle. Ngayon lang ako nakaexperience na hinanapan ng ganitong klaseng document for a baptismal. Kung Birth Certificate sana, madali lang makakuha pero Baptismal Certificate? It's very rare for people to have this document. Some even have to go to the parish where they were baptized just to have this. Moreover, we were also required to submit a letter from our parish (where our house is located) before they allowed us to book in this church. I think yan na ang rule nila ngaun; dapat kung saan ka nakatira, dun ka din na parish magpabinyag. Though they allow naman if you choose other churches, provided you submit the letter first from your parish.

Anyway, regarding the required Baptismal Certificate, the parish just wanted to make sure that the godparents are Christian to fulfill nga naman their role. Also they limit the list to 5 pairs only. When we asked why, sabi yun lang raw kasi ang kakasya sa certificate. Mejo di katanggap tanggap yung reason ano? I know someone na umabot nga ng 26 ang ninong at ninang ng anak nia eh, haha. Anyway we managed to convince them to accept 7 pairs for our son. Hehe, thanks to DJ's convincing powers.

The actual ceremony was held inside the Cry Room. It's just a small room fit for a few guests. In our case, we opted the special baptism kaya solo namin ang ceremony. The parish also offers common baptism where pwedeng me kasabayan binyagan ang baby. If that's the case, sa main altar na siguru gaganapin kasi for sure di kakasya sa Cry Room.

Right after the baptismal ceremony, we received Kiel's Baptismal Certificate. It comes in a frame na. The church was also the one to provide the candles. What we did was just show up before the schedule. Walang on-the-day seminar, proceed na agad with the rites and konting sermon ni Father who is a foreigner.

Here's a picture of us with Kiel's godparents. Some were not present dahil di nakapunta due to conflict. Others are working abroad, swerte naman ni Kiel if uuwi sila para lang dumalo, haha.

Here is Kiel's cake inspired by his onesie outfit and the giveaways which I made myself. The lunch reception by the way was held at Bigoli Restorante. They serve Italian food; pasta, pizza and chicken. It is just a few minutes of walk from the chapel. Food was okay but space was limited for our guests which was more than we expected, small room lang kasi ang binook namin.

Overall the event was a success. Kiel was able to meet most of our guests for the first time. Here are more pics during the ceremony and reception. We were grateful for friends and relatives who came to celebrate with us. Akala namin konti lang ang darating but it turned out napuno din naman ang venue ng reception. :)

*Thank you so much to Kit Diaz and Tom Bandoja for the pics.