{"id":104,"date":"2012-01-24T14:28:00","date_gmt":"2012-01-24T21:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/egregioustwaddle\/2012\/01\/a-blogger-baptism\/"},"modified":"2016-05-02T11:15:17","modified_gmt":"2016-05-02T17:15:17","slug":"a-blogger-baptism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/egregioustwaddle\/2012\/01\/a-blogger-baptism.html","title":{"rendered":"A Blogger Baptism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>\n\n\n\n
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The baptismal font in St Peter\u2019s Basilica in Rome, made from an inverted porphyry \u00a0sarcophagus lid. Nice symbolism there.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

It\u2019s my baptismal day, or so I\u2019m figuring.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the promptings of the Spirit and the pushes and shoves and support of the best bunch of sponsors and godparents an initiate could hope for\u2013Max Lindenman<\/a>, Frank Weathers<\/a>, and The Anchoress Elizabeth Scalia\u2013I\u2019m jumping into the pool and coming up a neophyte Catholic blogger, no longer just an opinionated inquirer hanging out on the combox sidelines.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an auspicious date, this being the feast day of St Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church and patron of Catholic writers and journalists. Before this morning, I have to confess I knew almost nothing about this particular \u201cother St Francis,\u201d my formation and leanings being toward Assisi, not Geneva. I had done documentary film work for the Salesians of St John Bosco years ago, but knew much more about the founder of that missionary community than I did about the saint for whom it is named. So in the noble tradition of mystagogia<\/i>\u2013Catholic-speak for \u201cnewbies learn more by diving right into the Mysteries than we could ever tell them ahead of time\u201d\u2013I\u2019ve spent the morning introducing myself to my new patron, and taking his example and marching orders to heart.<\/p>\n

Many Catholic bloggers are marking this patronal feast, but Pat Gohn<\/a> probably says best and simplest what I, and maybe you, need most to know about the man she calls St Frank. I\u2019ll simply add to her appreciation a couple of things that make Francis de Sales a particularly attractive patron for Catholic-blogger me:<\/p>\n