January 17, 2025 // Bishop

At St. Henry, Bishop Rhoades Baptizes Four Children

The sound of trickling water, the smells of incense burning and Chrism oil, and the loud cries of toddlers filled the church at St. Henry Parish in Fort Wayne on Sunday, January 12 – a fitting day of baptisms as the largely Hispanic community celebrated the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord.

Photos by Clare Hildebrandt
Bishop Rhoades performs the rite of baptism at St. Henry Catholic Church in Fort Wayne on Sunday, January 12, the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord.

With water cascading over tousled hair, four children entered the Church, becoming adopted sons and daughters of the Father. Ranging from 3 to 5 years old, the four newly baptized toddlers were older than the newborn infants who are typically baptized. The boys wore white dress coats, and the young girl wore a frilly white dress.

Bishop Rhoades celebrated the Mass and performed the baptisms alongside Father Matthew Coonan, pastor of St. Henry and the diocese’s vicar for clergy, and Father Mark Hellinger, parochial vicar at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Wayne, who served as master of ceremonies.

The children’s parents, godparents, families, and friends watched as Bishop Rhoades anointed the children.

Deacon Huberto Vasquez, who also assisted in the baptisms, told Today’s Catholic: “It is a joy that we celebrate this beautiful day on the Baptism of the Lord. It’s very symbolic and very deep.”

He shared that St. Henry is a growing parish, so baptisms occur frequently in the church. However, having Bishop Rhoades there to baptize the children and celebrate Mass on the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord added a special joy to the occasion, Deacon Vasquez said. 

Because St. Henry is a predominantly Hispanic parish, the Mass was celebrated in Spanish. Deacon Vasquez said that having Bishop Rhoades celebrate Mass and perform the baptisms in Spanish brought a sense of unity in the parish.

“This is a great hope for the Hispanic community to have a representative of the Church, Bishop Rhoades, speaking in their native language. They feel a lot of joy,” Deacon Vasquez said.

Bishop Rhoades poses with one of the four children whom he baptized at St. Henry Catholic Church in Fort Wayne on Sunday, January 12.

Xochitl Sanchez, a member of the parish, shared her pleasure at witnessing the baptisms.

“First and foremost, it is a privilege to have Bishop Rhoades here at St. Henry’s. It’s a great experience for my kids to see this, and it made them ask questions about the faith that I could answer.”

Deacon Vasquez told Today’s Catholic that through this Mass and anointing, “We hope that we all grow more in faith and love and bring more people to the practice of the Church.”

Clare Hildebrandt is a staff reporter for Today’s Catholic.

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