In the waters of baptism, we are lovingly adopted by God into God’s family, which we call the Church. We are given God’s own life to share, and reminded that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ. Baptism is the foundation for all future church participation and ministry. Each candidate for baptism in the Episcopal Church is to be sponsored by one or more baptized persons. Sponsors (godparents) speak on behalf of candidates for baptism who are infants or younger children as they cannot speak for themselves at the Presentation and Examination of the Candidates. During the baptismal rite, the members of the congregation promise to do all they can to support the candidates for baptism in their life in Christ. They join with the candidates by renewing the baptismal covenant. At Calvary, the water of baptism is administered by pouring. Candidates are baptized “in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” and then marked on the forehead with the sign of the cross. Chrism–a consecrated ointment–may be used for this marking. The newly baptized is “sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever.” When all baptisms have been completed, the celebrant and congregation welcome the newly administered within the eucharist as the chief service on a Sunday or another feast. The Catechism notes that “Infants are baptized so that they can share citizenship in the Covenant, membership in Christ, and redemption by God.” The baptismal promises are made for infants by their parents or sponsors, “who guarantee that the infants will be brought up within the Church, to know Christ and be able to follow him” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 858-859).