Pope Francis baptized 21 babies in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel on Sunday, continuing a cherished tradition. 

A Prayer for Growth in Faith and Joy 

“We ask the Lord: May they grow in faith a true humanity, in the joy of family,” prayed the Holy Father during the ceremony. 

A Tradition Started by St. John Paul II 

In the 1980s, the practice of baptizing children in the Sistine Chapel on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord was inaugurated by St. John Paul II. 

Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, president of the Governorate of Vatican City State, served as the main celebrant of the Mass with Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, concelebrating. 

Who are Baptized? 

The event was reserved at first for the babies of the Swiss Guards but was later expanded to include the children of Vatican employees. To qualify, children have to be under one year of age and their parents must be married in the Church. Each child is accompanied in the Sistine Chapel by his or her parents, siblings, godfather, and godmother. 

The Angelus and a Special Homework Assignment 

After the ceremony the pontiff prayed the Angelus in St Peter’s Square. There, the Holy father gave the assembled believers “homework” to do: 

“I will ask you a question: does every one of you remember the date of your Baptism? This is very important! Think: on what day was I baptized? And if we do not remember, when we arrive home, let us ask our parents or our godparents the date of our Baptism. And let us celebrate this date as if it were a new birthday: that of our birth in the Spirit of God. Do not forget! This is our homework: the date of our Baptism.” 

Adapted by Jacob Stein 

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