Feast of Our Lord's Baptism in Madrid: celebrated with Confirmations

In St George's Madrid, on the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, several young persons and adults were confirmed. It was an auspicious day for confirmation, as central to that apostolic rite is the renewal of baptismal vows and the commemoration of our own baptism.

In most places that renewal of baptismal vows begins with a procession of the candidates to the place where our Christian life begins, the font. There the words of the Apostles Creed are recited, an ancient summary of the faith which has been used in the Western Church for more than 1600 years at baptism services. To commemorate their baptism the candidates then dip a hand hands into the water and sign themselves with the cross, a vivid reminder that through their baptism they belong to Christ, the one who, although sinless, entered the waters of the Jordan, as a sign of solidarity with the human race.

Martin Luther, the Protestant Reformer, urged people always to remember their baptism, by making the sign of the cross on themselves and saying "baptizatus sum"- "I am baptised".

St George's was once called "the British Embassy Church of St George". This was changed several years back for like most of our parishes in metropolitan centres, it is now a very multicultural congregation. Candidates came from many different backgrounds, with roots in many parts of the world, not just the UK.

St George's is served by the Chaplain, the Revd Paul Ormrod, an Assistant Curate, the Revd Nigel Thomas, and a Reader, Mrs Celia Paterson. The present building was consecrated 90 years ago, this March.