What happens at Catholic christening?

Answer 1

Catholic 'christening' is Baptism. One of the seven sacraments, it is also the first of them, being called a Sacrament of Initiation. It is necessary to be baptized to be considered an initiated Christian in the Catholic church. Baptism has several effects. It washes away the stain of original sin, infusing the soul with the life of God (grace) and making the soul and child of God. Jesus himself commanded this Sacrament when he said, at the end of Matthew's Gospel, Go therefore and make disciples (followers) of all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Baptism makes a person a Christian and places them into a relationship with the Holy Trinity. It makes them a part of the Body of Christ, the Church. It infuses the HOly Spirit into the soul, making them a Temple of the HOly Spirit. The Catholic Church recognizes the baptisms of any Christian denomination who baptizes in the above formula. (Some do not use this formula and thus, are not considered to be truly Christian.) The Catholic Church, from the earliest days, baptized children as well as adults. There are references to whole households being baptized, not just individuals. The Sacrament recognizes that it is God's power, not the worthiness, academic learning, or inclination of the soul, that causes these effects to happen. A person can (and only needs) to be baptized once. If an older person is baptized, baptism also washes the soul clean of any actual sins - sins freely chosen by the person, as well as original sin. Baptism imprints an indelible mark upon the soul of the believer. Even if this soul is lost, in the end, the imprint remains, and increases the suffering of the damned soul in Hell since it is marked (tatooed if you will) with the image of Christ.