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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Participation Booklet for Extraordinary Form Baptisms

Fr. David Friel · October 6, 2018

APTISMS are joyful occasions. When an infant is to be baptized, families are still in the midst of celebrating the child’s natural birth, to which the promise of sacramental rebirth adds still greater joy. These are occasions for rejoicing on the part of the wider Church family, too, as we see the hope of eternal life shine upon new members of the Mystical Body.

More and more often, Roman Catholic priests are asked to perform Baptisms in the Extraordinary Form. Most priests today were never trained to baptize according to this form, but—with the right resources, a little personal effort, and an open mind—acceding to such requests is easily within reach.

I wrote a reflection some time ago about celebrating Baptisms in the Extraordinary Form, which has proven helpful to many priests who have been approached by families seeking this Sacrament for their children. (Another interesting reflection is published through Catholic Herald.) Still, performing this rite can pose other difficulties. Among the chief stumbling blocks that priests and families encounter is unfamiliarity with the rite on the part of those who will be in attendance. Although this issue does not, of course, affect the validity of the Sacrament, it certainly impacts the overall fruitfulness of the celebration. Facilitating deeper participation in the Sacraments is one of the principal aims of the Liturgical Movement and a very noble goal (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 14).

Today, I am pleased to present an invaluable resource for Baptisms in the Extraordinary Form, which will help to alleviate this stumbling block. It is a participation booklet intended to assist families and friends in following the order of the rite and the Latin prayers.

* * PDF Download • EF Baptism Rite Participation Booklet

A second version of the booklet is available here; the content of both versions is identical, but the second version is formatted for “one up” printing.

For a Latin-Spanish version of this booklet, see our subsequent post.

HIS resource is being offered here courtesy of Very Rev. Bryan W. Jerabek, JCL, rector of the cathedral of the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama (also available from his blog). He has kindly granted permission for this booklet to be reproduced and disseminated freely.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: baptism, Extraordinary Form 1962 Missal, Participatio Actuosa Last Updated: January 13, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“I prefer to preach,” said one priest “even without immediate preparation, for I can always draw—from the various studies stored away during the seminary years—enough material to interest our good Catholic people. But when I have to go to the altar and sing High Mass or a Requiem, and I know that I cannot read a note of the Preface and the ‘Pater Noster’, I feel like going to martyrdom. Yet the notes are right there before my eyes, but they seem to mock my ignorance.”

— From a 1920 article by Very Rev. Leo P. Manzetti

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