Bless This Child: A Comprehensive Guide to Creating Baby Blessing Ceremonies

Congratulations on the birth of your baby!

In this child, you see infinite potential and you place great hope. And now you're preparing to celebrate what is perhaps the most joyous rite of passage-the baby blessing ceremony. Like many parents, you may wish to plan a personalized ceremony that reflects who you are as a family and what you believe.

In Bless This Child, author Susanna Stefanachi Macomb presents a comprehensive selection of ceremonial elements for baby blessings. She has culled from the best traditions around the world and developed new ones, combining spiritual as well as humanist aspects. This guide includes

• poetry, prose, scripture, prayers, vows, opening words, and closing blessings;
• moving rituals including candle-lighting, naming, and anointing;
• suggestions on embracing grandparents, godparents, and siblings;
• practical advice for working with officiants and locales;
• language appropriate for an interfaith, intercultural assembly of family and guests;
• sample ceremonies that demonstrate how creative alternatives and traditional aspects can blend to create a memorable event.

Warm and encouraging, Bless This Child provides a guidebook for parents who wish to create a special way of welcoming their child into the world. Bless This Child is also an excellent resource for clergy and humanist officiants who perform interfaith baby blessing ceremonies.

Susanna Stefanachi Macomb is a licensed, ordained minister who has performed hundreds of personalized baby blessing ceremonies. Her work has been featured on television, radio and various print publications including Pregnancy magazine. She lives in New York City with her husband and son. Visit her online at www.babyblessingceremonies.com www.susannamacomb.com. Andrea Thompson is a New York-based free-lance writer and editor. They have previously collaborated on Joining Hands and Hearts Interfaith, Intercultural Wedding Celebrations.