The Vatican II Council began most of its discussion of contemporary pastoral issues with a reminder of the centrality of Baptism - presumably this reference to "Baptism" was a reference to the Sacraments of Initiation, not just to the water ritual. This approach to pastoral issues has given great enthusiasm to the Australian church as it has sought to live out this theology. I would first wish to name some of these areas which have been touched by the baptismal theology of Vatican II and then look at the pastoral response of the Australian Church to the liturgical celebration of Initiation.

A. Areas touched by the baptismal theology of the Council.

In the Australian Church, which represents only a quarter of the society, Vatican II’s reminder that "Baptism constitutes a sacramental bond of unity linking all who have been reborn by means of it" (Ecumenism 22) has borne great fruit in the work towards unity among Christians - no longer is the focus upon what divides, but rather upon the search for expressions of "unity" which the Council called for.

Building upon the image of the Church as the Body of Christ, the Council reminded us that it is "through baptism we are formed in the likeness of Christ" (Church 7). This Body is called to be the New People of God (Church 9). This new People of God is characterised as "a spiritual house and a holy priesthood" through baptism (Church 10). This priesthood is called to be exercised in the celebration of liturgy - for "such participation by the Christian people as ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people’, is their right and duty by reason of their baptism" (Liturgy 14).

In the Australian context this invitation by the Council has been welcomed and has born great fruit in the life of the Church. As the Summary of Conclusion after the 1998 meeting of a group of Australian Bishops with members of the Roman Curia states: "The work of renewal of the Church in Australian has made progress largely by means of the renewal of the liturgy and the people’s participation in liturgical celebration" (Para 37). This renewal is evident in the careful preparation and celebration of the Sunday Eucharist in many parishes, the great numbers of liturgical ministers who have been formed for this service, the involvement of many parishioners in the life of the parish, and the growing consciousness of the parish assembly as the building stone of Church (an awareness that is now being compromised by the lack of the celebration of Sunday Eucharist in some parishes, due to the lack of clergy). The Australian Church still has much to do on this journey towards liturgy being the "summit towards which the activity of the church is directed; (and) at the same time ... the fountain from which all her power flows" (Liturgy 10). One of the emerging issues is the gulf forming between liturgy and devotions and the focus upon individual piety. However we must constantly return to the call of Vatican II to respect the community’s participation in liturgy as their "right and duty by reason of baptism". (Liturgy 14) .

Finally Vatican II’s theology of baptism has taken shape in the life of the laity by their engagement in the apostolate and missionary activity of the Church. "The laity derive their right and duty with respect to the apostolate from their union with Christ their Head. Incorporated into Christ’s Mystical Body through baptism and strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit through confirmation, they are assigned to the apostolate by the Lord himself" (Laity 3). These words have been keenly heard by many of the laity. Under the direction of their Pastors, the laity eagerly engaged in catechetics, marriage formation, teaching, community leadership, and multiple services for the poor. Many of these ministries find their origin in the baptismal awareness of the laity. The recent Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in Oceania (2001), often makes reference to the great apostolic work of the laity in the many Churches of Oceania "and the Synod Fathers were keen to stress the mission of the lay members of the Church" (N. 13), a mission which Vatican II had named as coming from the new life which "they had put on in baptism" (Missions 11).

Thus the baptismal theology of Vatican II has borne much fruit in the life of the Australian Church. Australian Catholics have heard the call of the Council to return to the power given them in the cleansing waters of baptism, strengthened by the power of the Spirit in confirmation, and renewed in the celebration of Eucharist. Their faithful response has given new life to the Church. However, there are many who have not heard this call in faith, and have not moved beyond the social custom of simply baptising their child; consequently they are not active in the life of the community. Others have not clearly heard the invitation of the Council and still live with a nostalgia for the past; often their presence at Church is marked by deep pain.

B. The Celebration of Initiation in the life of the Church.

1. Restoration of the catechumenate.

One of the areas in which the call of Vatican II was to bear great fruit has been in the restoration of the catechumenate. The Council had heard to cry of its pastors and so directed that "the catechumenate for adults.. is to be restored and to be put into use at the discretion of the local ordinary" (Liturgy 64). This invitation was slow to take effect. The new Ritual was only published in 1972 and translated to English in 1974. It was not until 1986 that the Australian edition of the Ritual was published in a suitable liturgical book. During this time, most of the Bishops of Australia had begun to establish the necessary support structures for its implementation. The Rite for the Christian Initiation of Adults (1984) is now widely used throughout Australia, although there are still some parishes which would not be celebrating it, usually against the directive of the local Bishop. There is a differing practice throughout Australia on the role of the Bishop in its celebration: some would focus upon the Bishop for the enrolment and the Easter Eucharist, while others would focus upon the local parish community. Pastoral experience has shown that the Rite has given life to the Easter Vigil, drawing together liturgy and pastoral formation of catechumens and of the parish assembly.

However various pastoral issues are beginning to emerge. It has been common practice to include Christians from other denominations in the preparation for Easter. While their baptism is usually well respected in the various celebrations, there is a growing reconsideration of their inclusion in the RCIA process. The role of the Bishop in the RCIA process also is being questioned. The difficulty of irregular marriages of candidates (a familiar situation in Australian society) raises pastoral problems. The particular requirements for children in the process also need further attention. While children are often included in the RCIA process, their unique needs are not usually addressed. (It is hoped that the proposed revision of the ritual for the initiation of children may address this problem.)

The renewal of the catechumenate in Australia has certainly given great life to the Church: it has drawn out of the community dedicated catechists and ministers, it has given direction to the Easter Vigil and has provided a fruitful introduction to the life of the Church for many people. The catechumenate has proven for Australia to be a treasure long hidden, but now at the centre of Catholic parish life.

The integrity of the celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil (in that Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist are celebrated in the one ceremony) has also encouraged many dioceses to re-evaluate their practice of Initiation for children. Well over half of the Australian dioceses now celebrate Confirmation before Eucharist, with many celebrating Confirmation and Eucharist in the one ceremony - thereby respecting the traditional order for celebrating the Sacraments of Initiation. There is still however much work to be done to articulate a clear theology for Confirmation when it stands alone in the process of Initiation, particularly after First Communion. It has also been suggested that Confirmation be celebrated along with Baptism, as in the Eastern Churches.

2. Practice of Infant Baptism.

"The rite for the baptism of infants is to be revised, and should be adapted to the circumstance that those to be baptised are, in fact, infants" (Liturgy 67). This directive of the Council gave rise to a first in 1971 in the history of the Church: a ritual prepared for infants. Such a focus upon infants in the celebration of a sacrament required great attention. This rite was to bring out more sharply the "role of parents and godparents, and also their duties" (Liturgy 67). The ritual was to bring great joy to many parents as they experienced their role affirmed in the life of the Church: Parents "will be the first of teachers of their children in their ways of faith; may they be also the best of teachers" (Rite of the Baptism for Children n. 70).

The Council had also requested the "a special Mass for the ‘conferral of baptism’ is to be inserted into the Roman Missal" (Liturgy 66). When this was done in the 1974 English Roman Missal (pg. 756), it provided parishes with an opportunity to include infant baptism within the parish Sunday Eucharist. This has aided the developing awareness in parishes of their role and responsibility in the celebration of baptism. In turn, this helped move baptism from being a private family celebration to being a parish event. Such a development has enabled parishes to celebrate only one ceremony of Baptism, usually on Sunday and often with the involvement of parishioners.

However, one result of these developments has been the questioning of the faith of the parents who present their child for baptism. Are parents prepared to commit themselves to the Catholic education of their child? To address this issue, parishes have engaged the help of the laity to support parents in processes of formation for baptism.

Thus the call of the Council for renewal in the liturgy of infant baptism has also borne fruit. Parents are supported in their choice for the baptism of their child and find ongoing assistance in their parish. Parents who present their child for baptism are certainly invited to move beyond the pressures of society to simply have their child baptised to an engagement with the faith choice they have made in baptising their child. Again this has been made possible by the laity’s generous commitment to ministering within their parish in a variety of baptismal preparation programmes.

In conclusion, Vatican II provided a baptismal foundation for the on-going life of the Church. The Australian Church continues to build upon this foundation as it seeks to live the "new life given it in baptism". Many of the issues that surround the discussion of baptism are not drawn directly from the theology of baptism, rather they are implications drawn from other fields: eg. catechetics, liturgy, apostolate, ministry. The renewal begun by Vatican II continues to influence the life of the Australian Church. Under the guidance of its Pastors, the Church can continue upon this path of sharing the rich treasure of being the Mystical Body of Christ..