Stan & Pam's Baptisms at St. James

April 11, 1998  Stan's Baptism (Easter Vigil)

St. James Catholic Church, Novi, MI. The Easter Vigil Mass begins outside. A bonfire it lit and blessed, and from that the Christ Candle is lit (which Fr. Cronk is doing in the left image above.) After marking the five-foot high candle with the signs of Christ's wounds and the date, personal processional candles are lit from the Christ Candle (Ed Wolfrum, my sponsor) and I hold ours and wait to process into the church. Under my arm, I hold my baptismal robes. 

Fr. Cronk baptizes me halfway through the Mass celebration. The baptistry is in the back of the naive, next to the entrance. Like the wash basin of the ancient Hebrew Temple which was outside the Holy of Holies, it is through the washing of the waters of baptism that we enter the church and approach altar. 

At left, after the Easter Vigil Fr. Cronk, me wearing my baptismal stole, and a smiling (!) Pam. She was not yet Catholic and was very unsure of what I was doing. See her Postscript in the book. At right I'm making some esoteric theological point to my guests (how to find the pizzeria we're all going to at 1 AM). L-R Pam, Judith and Lou Marchinda, me, and Ed Wolfrum. 

January 21, 1999 — Pam's Baptism

Fr. Cronk (provisionally) baptizes Pam, as a smiling April (left) and Yours Truly (right, behind Cronk) look on. The discussion about whether or not to wear a wig for Pam's baptism (she had just undergone chemotherapy), is in the book. 

Ed Wolfrum, and Sue Wolfrum put on Pam's baptismal stole after her baptism. In the background are Millie and Bill Talbot, who were originally from England and members of the Church of England, although we knew them from attending Highland Park Baptist, and from sailing on the Detroit River aboard their Cheoy Lee, 42-foot clipper ketch. Behind Fr. Cronk and barely visible is Bill Wiitala, my Baptist-Quaker writing partner. 

Months after my baptism, I returned with Ed Wolfrum, my sponsor, to see Fr. Hardon (see the book for the story.)  I'm holding a MovieGuide issues that featured a review of a movie about Mother Teresa., below a movie about Mr. Bean (!).  Fr. John Hardon was Mother Teresa's spiritual director and often traveled to India, the final time to preside over her official, and private, Catholic funeral.