Baptism, Confirmation, & Reception - Oh My!
Beloved in Christ,
Our wonderful Bishop, Jennifer Reddall, will be visiting on Sunday, February 15, 2026 on the Last Sunday after the Epiphany. This will be a joyous occasion for our church to welcome her, to hear her preach, and to celebrate the Eucharist! And, during the season after the epiphany when we are hearing from the voices of women in our church, this is an auspicious coincidence that her visit will put a bow on the season so to speak!
During a Bishop’s visit, the holy sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, and the rite of Reception are often performed. But, not everyone is familiar with these terms!
Baptism is the full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s Body, the church. As our Catechism states, Holy Baptism is the sacrament by which God adopts us as God’s own children and makes us members of Christ’s body, the Church, and inheritors of the kingdom of God (see BCP p. 858). In baptism, “we renounce Satan, repent of our sins, and accept Jesus as our Lord and savior.?” It is the central sacrament which brings us fully into the body of Christ and into the community of the Church, and all people are invited to receive this most blessed and holy sacrament.
Confirmation “is the rite in which we express mature commitment to Christ, and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop.” (BCP p. 860). Many of us were likely baptized as a child, but not everyone goes through confirmation (unless if you grew up in the Roman Catholic tradition). It is a particularly powerful and wonderful thing to announce your commitment to Christ and Christ’s own church!
Reception is for those who have been baptized and confirmed in another tradition, or who may have been members of a different denomination and who wish to be affiliated publicly with the Episcopal Church. The Bishop lays her hands on you and welcomes you into the fold of the church, saying, “We recognize you as a member of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church, and we receive you into the fellowship of this Communion” (BCP p. 418).
If you’re curious about receiving one of these sacraments or rites during the Bishop’s visit, please reach out to me at vicar@standrewstucson.org. Each of these will likely require a few meetings of preparation and some reading and reflection to engage fully in these gifts which Christ gives to us in the form of our Bishop and holy Church.
I look forward to welcoming our Bishop to St. Andrew’s on February 15, and look forward to seeing you all on Sunday!
Yours in Christ,
Alex+