101229 remembering baptisms 1989, 1987, 1949

Jack and Thom
Good morning, I love you
101229, 1757


The week since Christmas….

In 1987, this week, Jack was baptized at St. Elizabeth’s of Hungry, NYC. By Kevin O’Connell, S.J., the priest who officiated at your parents’ wedding.

In 1989, this week, Thom was baptized at St. Elizabeth’s of Hungry, NYC. By Kevin O’Connell, S.J., the priest who officiated at your parents’ wedding.

So, Happy Birthday to boffya.

To be on the safest side, I did the pouring (little droplets) of holy water and saying of the words on the days you were born.

It was important to me and supported by your mother – who was not yet Catholic – that you be born in or baptized in NYC. We, for the practical reasons, chose baptized in. We also chose to do the ceremony at St Elizabeth’s of Hungry – where I was baptized in 1949. (August 17th, I think. I know it was August and not July.) There are pictures of your ceremonies and the participants – relatives from your father’s, grandfather’s, and grandmother’s families plus your mother’s sister, godmother to each of you, who arrived late to both Christenings. Your uncle Ken is your Godfather. In a similar way for me: my Godfather was my father's brother; my Godmother was my mother's sister, Julia aka Putsey.

And think of this. Fortuitously, not because we picked the days because of the feasts, y’all were baptized on the feasts of John the Evangelist and Thomas Beckett. (I think I've matched up the dates correctly.) A biggie for each of you! This is the reason why I’ve pulled up short on finishing John Bosco and Thomas Aquinas, the January saints left to do. For my feeloughts about y’all and your baptisms via the stories of the two biggie saints.

There are lots of pictures of your homecoming from the hospital after your births. There are lots of pictures of your baptisms, the trip to and from, the small celebration we were able to give you and the relatives who came at the fancy hotels on The Park. Deo Gratias!

I love you,
Dad
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