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The Sacrament of Baptism is often called "The door of the Church," because it is the first of the seven sacraments not only in time, since most Catholics receive it as infants, but in priority since the reception of the other sacraments depends on it. It is the first of the three Sacraments of Initiation, the other two being the Sacrament of Holy Communication and the Sacrament of Confirmation. Once baptized, a person becomes a member of the Church. Traditionally, the rite or ceremony of baptism was held outside the doors of the main part of the church, to signify this fact.
Christ Himself ordered His disciples to preach the Gospel to all nations and to baptize those who accept the message of the Gospel. In His encounter with Nicodemus (John 3:1-21), Christ made it clear that baptism was necessary for salvation: "Amen, amen I say to thee unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." For Catholics, the sacrament is not a mere formality; it is the very mark of a Christian because it brings us into a new life in Christ.
Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as children of God; we become members of the mystical body of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word. (CCC: 1213)"
In the Western or Latin Church, baptism is usually conferred by an authorized minister by pouring water three times on the recipient's head, while reciting the baptismal formula: "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (cf. Matthew 28:19).
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