Ceremonies For Children 
Naming ceremonies : Ceremonies of Blessing :  Rites of Passage  

You are the poem

I dreamed of writing,
The masterpiece
I longed to paint.

You are the shining star
I reached for in my ever-hopeful quest
For life fulfilled...

You are my child.

Now with all things
I am blessed.

          Author Unknown

   

It is always a particular joy to be asked to create a ceremony to welcome a child into the world, into the community and into the family.

Every Baby Naming or Blessing is as different as the families who wish to  celebrate the birth of a new baby, and can be held wherever you like.  

I work with each family to create a ceremony that reflects their particular values and beliefs, and vision of life, and if the child is older, then the ceremony will also reflect their particular way of being in the world.

  

 
Connie's Naming Ceremony 

'Rev. Jane created a beautiful naming day ceremony for my daughter, working with parents who are separated and who have differing beliefs and manners of expressing their spirituality. It felt so positive and nurturing to be able to create a ceremony that both parents could agree on and was a healing and unifying process throughout.
Jane gave such full support and I really felt enabled to make the naming day happen through her skilled shaping and holding of the ceremony. The unflappable ease with which she accommodated the last minute changes and ideas on the day was admirable - the ceremony took place in a field by a river and was so beautifully held by Jane, the magical spontaneity of the occasion arising out of the form and order, aiding each part to flow seamlessly from one the next; music, speech and movement in balance and grace.
Manifold Thanks, so grateful, so blessed are we.'

Chersti




I can create ceremonies for older children too; if your child is not having a First Communion, maybe this would be a good time to have a comparative sacred ceremony created, a celebration of their particular essence and place in the family and in their community.

  The transiton to secondary school is also a big change and in the Catholic Church Confirmation is usually in that same  year; again perhaps this is a moment to mark with a special ceremony which the child and the family can be involved in creating together; it can take many different forms.                                    

In many cultures the transition into adulthood is marked with initiatory rites; I would be delighted to work with families and young people to create such ceremonies which I feel can help the family and the young person to formally acknowledge their letting go of childhood, and their acceptance into maturity.

Blessing ceremonies can also be created to honour a baby lost through miscarriage, termination of pregnancy or soon after birth, and such rituals can be profoundly healing and helpful at these difficult times, for the family, and especially for the  mother, going through their journey of mourning and letting go.

 My fee for most ceremonies of childhood is 300 euros.

However there is no fee for rituals for the loss of a baby or child  

The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting
by Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn

When we become parents, whether intentionally or by happenstance, our whole life is 
immediately different, although it may take some time to realize just how much. Being a parent
 
compounds stress by orders of magnitude. It makes us vulnerable in ways we weren’t before. It
 calls us to be responsible in ways we weren’t before. It challenges us as never before, and 
takes out time and attention away from other things, including ourselves, as never before.

It creates chaos and disorder, feelings of inadequacy, occasions for arguments, struggles, 
irritation, noise, seemingly never-ending obligations and errands, and plenty of opportunities
 
for getting stuck, angry, resentful, hurt, and for feeling overwhelmed, old, and unimportant.
 
And this can go on not only when the children are little, but even when they are full grown and
 on their own. Having children is asking for trouble.
So why do it? Maybe Pete Seeger said it best: ‘We do it for the high wages…kisses.’ Children
 
give us the opportunity to share in the vibrancy of life in ways we would not touch were they
 
not part of our lives… they share vital nature with us and call it out of us as well, if
 
we can listen carefully to the calling.

Grandparents' Blessing
 May you live to see your world fulfilled. May your destiny be for worlds still to come. And may you trust in generations past and yet to be. May your heart be filled with intuition and your words be filled with insight. May songs of praise ever be upon your tongue and your vision be on a straight path before you. May your eyes shine with the light of holy words and your face reflect the brightness of the heavens. May your lips speak wisdom and your fulfilment be in righteousness even as you ever yearn to hear the words of the Divine.