Orthodox Adventures: The Next Generation
I became a catechumen last night.
My two small group friends came to vespers with me to witness the (very brief) (non) event. I had prepared them for a regular vespers service, so of course, it wasn't a regular vespers. It was a Tomorrow is a Major Feast service. It was halfway through the twelve readings before I figured out what was going on, so that was fun. It was basically the end of vespers before Father Patrick motioned to me and my newly assigned Godmother that it was time.
Last week, Father Patrick told me I needed a sponsor, or Godmother, and I needed to decide who and let him know before Saturday. I think I must have looked like a deer in the headlights. I sputtered and stammered a bit. Or I could choose for you? Whew! Yes! I was much relieved at that and insisted that he should do so. Of course, I proceeded to be jittery and a bit anxious about it for a few days, until I emailed him on Friday. As soon as I read his response, though, I knew he had made exactly the right choice.
A while back, I was talking with E about the eventuality of this step. E is a funny one. She mangles words.
Cat-a-human? Does this mean you won't be allergic to cats? But what about when you get baptized? Cats don't like water. Will you become a dog-a-human?
Of course, she was joking. She knows she mangles words, and she has this tendency to run with it when she does. I was laughing so hard I fell off the couch. I also laughed pretty hard last night when she attempted to talk about Father Patrick and called him Patrick Stewart. (What, my priest is a shakespearean trained starship captain?)
It's been a while since I've been much of anything. I left the Baptist church in October. It's like I've been in limbo since then. I'm not Orthodox yet, but I'm not really anything else anymore, either. And I really don't know when I stopped being Baptist. It was before October.
I don't know how to express this. I was never homeless in the process. I had already received a warm welcome at the new church before I said goodbye to the old. But at a certain level, I'm going to be an outsider until the day I'm baptized. I have no idea when exactly that will happen. The sooner the better, but I'm not interested in rushing it. This is worth doing right, so if it takes time, so be it.
My two small group friends came to vespers with me to witness the (very brief) (non) event. I had prepared them for a regular vespers service, so of course, it wasn't a regular vespers. It was a Tomorrow is a Major Feast service. It was halfway through the twelve readings before I figured out what was going on, so that was fun. It was basically the end of vespers before Father Patrick motioned to me and my newly assigned Godmother that it was time.
Last week, Father Patrick told me I needed a sponsor, or Godmother, and I needed to decide who and let him know before Saturday. I think I must have looked like a deer in the headlights. I sputtered and stammered a bit. Or I could choose for you? Whew! Yes! I was much relieved at that and insisted that he should do so. Of course, I proceeded to be jittery and a bit anxious about it for a few days, until I emailed him on Friday. As soon as I read his response, though, I knew he had made exactly the right choice.
A while back, I was talking with E about the eventuality of this step. E is a funny one. She mangles words.
Cat-a-human? Does this mean you won't be allergic to cats? But what about when you get baptized? Cats don't like water. Will you become a dog-a-human?
Of course, she was joking. She knows she mangles words, and she has this tendency to run with it when she does. I was laughing so hard I fell off the couch. I also laughed pretty hard last night when she attempted to talk about Father Patrick and called him Patrick Stewart. (What, my priest is a shakespearean trained starship captain?)
It's been a while since I've been much of anything. I left the Baptist church in October. It's like I've been in limbo since then. I'm not Orthodox yet, but I'm not really anything else anymore, either. And I really don't know when I stopped being Baptist. It was before October.
I don't know how to express this. I was never homeless in the process. I had already received a warm welcome at the new church before I said goodbye to the old. But at a certain level, I'm going to be an outsider until the day I'm baptized. I have no idea when exactly that will happen. The sooner the better, but I'm not interested in rushing it. This is worth doing right, so if it takes time, so be it.
Labels: Becoming Orthodox
posted by Sam Gamgee at
5:47 PM
5 Comments:
hey - i believe that would be an orthodox feline-homosapien!
later - nathan!
Love and prayers as you make this journey, my friend...Orthodox Baptism is, I believe, a Huge event. Wish I could be there when the day comes...
why do you have to be baptized again?
I'll eventually be baptized again for one important reason. I can't find any actual proof that the first one happened. 1990 was a long time ago, but I suspect the paper disappeared as recently as the hasty move out of the condo.
Would you have to be baptized again if you did have proof? I'm curious.
I hope you keep these posts coming. I'm really fascinated with this journey.
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