By Sean Patrick III was baptized Sunday at St. Brigid's. Father Donnelly did the honors. The church was the same church where I was baptized, where I was confirmed, where Sean and I were married, where my nephew was baptized four weeks after he was born because Maureen's scheduling is non-negotiable. The Donovan pew was full and the Donovan pew next to ours was also full, which meant the whole family plus Colleen's family filled two pews, and Father Donnelly remarked on it at the beginning of the ceremony, which is his version of affection.
I am godmother. Colleen asked me at Easter. She said "Kate, I want you, and not for any reason other than you." She said "not because you're a Donovan. Because you're Kate." I cried at Easter. I said yes. Sunday at the font I held the baby while Father Donnelly poured the water. Sean Patrick III did not cry. He blinked. He looked at the water. He looked at Father Donnelly with the specific newborn expression that registers "this is data" and filed it. Colleen laughed. Patrick got teary. Sean stood beside me as the godfather — we did that thing where Colleen and Patrick asked them to be godparents alongside us, which is the family wanting to double down. Sean has been called "Uncle Sean" by Aidan for a year, and Aidan was there, and Sean accepted the role.
Afterward at Maureen's. Forty-one people in a house that comfortably holds twenty-five. A full ham, another brisket (Maureen does not let baptisms skip brisket), the church ladies' potato salad, my deviled eggs (for the second time in a month — I have become the deviled-egg woman, which is a new role but one I accept), Colleen's mother's cannolis, my father's whiskey. Father Donnelly drank whiskey with Sean Sr. in the kitchen for an hour and told stories about the Donovans of the 1950s, which Sean Sr. had heard but which my father still received as if they were new.
Liam held the baby while seated on the couch with three adults surrounding him. He did it for eighty-five seconds. He was terrified and proud. He said afterward "he's soft." That was his review. Nora observed the baby from the floor with the interest of a researcher. She did not ask to hold him. She has not yet decided what she thinks of babies smaller than her. She is the baby of our family and the concept of a smaller baby is still being processed.
Baptism ham — I do not make a special version, it is the family ham, the spiral-cut with the brown sugar and mustard glaze, scored, an hour and change in the oven. The ham is the standard. I love a standard.
Sean had a migraine Saturday night and had to lie down in a dark room for two hours. I noted it. He said it was a headache, not a migraine. I gave him water, Tylenol, the eye mask. He was fine by 10 PM. Second one this month. I will keep an eye on it. Not clinical yet. I am a nurse. I will still keep an eye.
The ham I described is the family ham — spiral-cut, brown sugar and mustard glaze, in and out of the oven in an hour and change — and I love it exactly as it is. But Maureen always sets out a raisin sauce alongside it, and I have come to think of the two as inseparable: the ham is the standard, and the raisin sauce is what you spoon over your plate when you want to mark the occasion as something a little more. Sean Patrick III’s baptism was absolutely that occasion.
Raisin Sauce for Ham
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes | Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 1 cup raisins
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Simmer the raisins. Combine the raisins and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes, until the raisins have softened and plumped.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, and ground cloves until combined.
- Thicken the sauce. Stir the dry ingredient mixture into the saucepan with the raisins and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 6—8 minutes until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy.
- Finish with butter and vinegar. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the butter, vinegar, and Dijon mustard until the butter is fully melted and the sauce is smooth.
- Serve warm. Transfer to a serving dish and keep warm until ready to serve alongside your spiral-cut ham. The sauce can be made ahead and gently reheated over low heat, adding a splash of water if needed to loosen.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 95 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 2g | Carbs: 20g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 65mg