The origins of the rites of Christian initiation -- Christian initiation in the Pre-Nicene East -- Christian initiation in the Pre-Nicene West -- Initiation in the Christian East during the fourth and fifth centuries -- Initiation in the Christian West during the fourth and fifth centuries -- Excursus : baptismal preparation and the origins of Lent -- Christian initiation in the Middle Ages -- The rites of initiation in the Christian East -- Christian initiation in the Protestant and Catholic reforms of the sixteenth century -- Christian initiation in the churches today -- Back home to the font : the place of a baptismal spirituality and its implications in a displaced world.