April 2024
Dear Friends,
The second of our nine special 900 services took place on Sunday 25th February when a general invitation was sent out to those who had been baptised at Duddingston to attend. One lady came to this service who had been baptised at Duddingston in the 1940s. We also had a number of our young people who made the effort to be there. I called them ‘my babies’ as I have held most of them as infants when they were brought for baptism with their parents.
Many folk refer to the baptism of infants as ‘christening’. This is actually an Anglican term and refers to the baby being given its name. In the Church of Scotland we have always referred to christenings as baptism. At every baptism, be it infant or adult, the name of the person being baptised is recorded in our Baptismal Register. The earliest records for Duddingston Kirk go back to 1631. There is an entry on 16th March 1631 which records the baptism of a baby called John THOMSON son of Thomas THOMSON and Margaret SCRIMGEOUR.
The current records that are in use today go back to 1948. They record the names of 1,651 children and 56 adults who have been baptised from 1948 to date. I have personally baptised hundreds of children and dozens of adults at Duddingston! I have baptised babies brought from faraway places such as South Africa, Holland, Texas, Egypt, Hong Kong, Western Australia and Germany and I have baptised triplets. But it is not just children we baptised as the oldest person I have baptised was aged 94!
Our baptismal font was made by the blacksmith at Duddingston crossroads. It was designed to echo our ‘Jesus window’ to the left of the pulpit, which shows Jesus carrying a shepherds crook. Our font is in the shape of a shepherd’s crook and holds a brass bowl with the inscription…
To the glory of God
To commemorate Lilias Johnston Baxter 1900-1965
A friend of little children
The third of our nine services will be a whole set of Easter services including: Palm Sunday, Holy Week evening services Monday to Friday; Early Morning Easter Service in the Garden and our Easter Service in the Kirk which will include Holy Communion. I hope that you will come along and be part of these festivities.
Enter our Kirk, not as a stranger, because you belong here. Discover its history in every stone. Rest a while and enjoy the peace of this place of prayer and worship.
Yours,
Rev Dr Jim Jack.