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Presenting Antonio

Family and culture come together in the baptism of 41/2-month-old Antonio de Jesus Maldonado Alexander at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Carver.

By Elizabeth Flores

March 20, 2011 at 4:53PM

On April 10, 2010 Antonio de Jes�s Maldonado Alexander was baptized at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in the small village of Carver, MN. The small celebration began on April 9, 2010, when Antonio's father Antonio Maldonado picked out a pig in his honor and killed it himself. Then on April 10, 2010, the celebration continued with a ceremony in front of the church with Father Thomas Joseph officiating. The godparents flew in from Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico to be present. They were Antonio's sponsors when he was attending seminary school in Mexico. For Antonio and Aimee Maldonado, Antonio's parents, the importance of the baptism was to raise their first child in the Catholic Church and to grow and live in a Christian home. IN THIS PHOTO:] Father Thomas Joseph introduces Antonio de Jesus Maldonado Alexander as a new member of the Catholic Church. (Jamie Hutt — DML - Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Family and culture come together in the baptism of 41/2-month-old Antonio de Jesus Maldonado Alexander at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Carver. The small celebration began when Antonio's father picked out a pig for the baptismal feast and killed it himself. The event continued the next day with a ceremony at the church conducted by the Rev. Thomas Joseph, a friend of the baby's parents. The parents, Antonio and Aimee Maldonado, of Minneapolis, were supported by godparents Lourdes and Tomar Dox, who flew in from Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. In this photo little Antonio tries to join the applause as Father Joseph presents him to his godmother, Lourdes, left, and his parents.