Baptism
Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s Body the Church. The bond which God establishes in Baptism is indissoluble. Each candidate for Holy Baptism is to be sponsored by one or more baptized persons.
Sponsors of adults and older children present their candidates and thereby signify their endorsement of the candidates and their intention to support them by prayer and example in their Christian life. Sponsors of infants, commonly called godparents, present their candidates, make promises in their own names, and also take vows on behalf of their candidates. It is fitting that parents be included as sponsors of their own children along with godparents. Parents and godparents are to be instructed in the meaning of Baptism, in their duties to help the new Christians grow in the knowledge and love of God, and in their responsibilities as members of his Church.
To schedule a baptism, please contact the Cathedral office at 313.831.5000. All requests and submission of the required information should be made at least two full weeks in advance of the appointed date. Baptismal preparation is required in advance of the baptism, usually on the Saturday morning before the Sunday service.
2023 Baptism Dates
January 8 – The Feast of Our Lord’s Baptism
8:15 am or 11:00 am service
April 8 – The Great Vigil of Easter
8:00 pm service
May 28 – Pentecost
8:15 am or 11:00 am service
August 13 – The Feast of St. Mary (observed)
8:15 am or 11:00 am service
November 5 – All Saints’ Sunday
8:15 am or 11:00 am service
Confirmation, Reception & Reaffirmation
In the course of their Christian development, those baptized at an early age are expected, when they are ready and have been duly prepared, to make a mature public affirmation of their faith and commitment to the responsibilities of their Baptism and to receive the laying on of hands by the bishop.
Those baptized as adults, unless baptized with laying on of hands by a bishop, are also expected to make a public affirmation of their faith and commitment to the responsibilities of their Baptism in the presence of a bishop and to receive the laying on of hands.
Confirmation is regularly held at the Cathedral as a part of the Great Vigil of Easter – the Easter Eve service on Saturday evening. It is a very ancient and beautiful service, and is always presided over by a bishop. The Rt. Rev’d Dr. Bonnie Perry is the current Bishop of the Diocese of Michigan.
Reception is for those who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation in another tradition (such as the Roman Catholic or Orthodox church), and desire to be received into the Episcopal Tradition of Christianity. A person being received is received by a bishop with special prayers.
Reaffirmation, also presided at by a bishop, is often appropriate when someone who has already been baptized and confirmed and wishes, for any reason, to reaffirm or recommit to their baptismal vows.
People interested in Confirmation, Reception, or Reaffirmation are invited to contact the Cathedral office at 313.831.5000, or if you are a member of another congregation, please be in contact with your clergy. Confirmation, Reception, and Reaffirmation at the Great Vigil is open to all congregations of the Diocese.
Funerals
Funerals (memorial services and graveside services) are conducted in consistent with the Book of Common Prayer 1979. Music is generally chosen in accordance with the Hymnal 1982. Please contact the Cathedral Office at 313.831.5000 and one of the clergy will be in touch with you.
Weddings
The Episcopal Church considers the Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage to be a Sacrament, and further, one that is rightly experienced in the midst of the Community of Faith — the bride and groom are not the only ones who make vows in the service. Because of this understanding of the Sacrament of Marriage, the Cathedral does not function as a public wedding chapel.
The Episcopal Church requires that at least one of the individuals being married be baptized, and premarital preparation is required. If there have been previous marriages for either person, there may be additional requirements. Members of the congregation are welcome to hold their wedding at the Cathedral following the appropriate guidelines.
It is also expected that those whose marriage is to be celebrated and blessed at the Cathedral will participate in the worship life of this congregation. For this reason, a couple must be a regular (over 50% of the Sundays) part of the worshiping community for at least six months, before discussion with the Dean about a wedding at the Cathedral can take place. This includes even scheduling the date. It is also expected that the couple will be pledging to the mission and ministry of the Cathedral, and also be current in that pledge. Arrangements maybe made for children of active parishioners who are worshiping in other places due to school, work, missionary or military service.
Prospective couples who are not Cathedral members are welcome to come and explore whether the Cathedral is the right spiritual home for you, and to investigate becoming a part of the Cathedral congregation. One of the clergy would gladly discuss this with you. Please contact the Cathedral Office at 313.831.5000 to schedule an appointment.
Other Episcopalians, active in their local congregations in the Diocese of Michigan, may make arrangements to have their wedding at the Cathedral subject to approval of the Dean, and at the request of their own congregation’s clergy.
All weddings at the Cathedral are conducted according the liturgy and canons of the Episcopal Church. In 2015, Bishop Wendell Gibbs Jr. issued a letter outlining the procedure all clergy must abide by in performing a same-sex wedding. You may find the letter here.
For more information, including the complete Wedding Guide for Couples, please contact the Cathedral Office at 313.831.5000.