I will never forget the day my daughter, Samantha, was baptized! It was my very first Mother’s day on Sunday, May 12, 1996. It was a warm, sunny spring morning as we made our way to the church that my family has belonged to for years, St. Bernardine of Sienna Catholic church. In fact, it was the same church where my husband and I were married at 18 months before and where I was baptized.

We asked Father Partensky, the same priest who married Glen and I, to perform our daughter’s baptism. Having the same priest who married us, be the same one to perform our first child’s baptism meant a lot to us. Father Partensky is a very warm, easy going man with a gift to make everyone feel comfortable and secure. When we walked into the church for the baptism he said, jokingly, “If that baby cries, we are done!”  Believe it or not Samantha did not make a peep! She was incredible well-behaved the entire time, which made for some great memories of a wonderful experience.

Not only did Samantha behave like an angel that day, she looked absolutely heavenly in her baptismal gown. It took a few weeks to carefully chose her baptismal gown and I am glad that we took the time. We chose a baptismal gown that we wanted to stay in our family, and become a heirloom that she could pass down as a tradition to her own children one day. Today, I have it carefully packed away to give to her one day for our future grandchildren.

I remember that we had a hard time picking her godparents. My husband and I wanted family but wanted to make sure that we picked someone who we knew would be there for Samantha to turn to if she had questions or concerns about her religious life. We finally asked my younger sister, Amanda and my husband’s brother, John. Both our siblings were truly honored. It was really a blessing to share this day with both of our families.

Among her baptismal gifts, one of my favorites was a book from her godfather, John, talking about guardian angels. It was a beautiful children’s picture book called Angels Watch Over Me. Even though she was a baby, I remember reading it to her almost every night. It eventually turned into a bedtime ritual for us, and even though she is no longer a young child, it is still one of her favorite books.  My oldest sister gave her a beautiful pin cross (which she has worn for her Baptism, Communion and Confirmation) and my cousin knitted her a sweater, bonnet and booties set that was absolutely adorable. I will always have fond memories of my daughter’s baptism.