In November of 2005, Ivy Smith was baptized at an Anglican Cathedral in Portsmouth, England. At 101-years-old, she is believed to be the oldest worshiper in Britain to undergo the blessing.
Smith grew up in southern England as the seventh of 14 children in a Methodist family. She attended chapel every day, but it was over a century before some of her fellow worshipers asked her why she didn't take part in Communion.
"I said I'd never been confirmed or baptized," said Smith, "and they asked me if I'd like to be. I said, 'At my age!'"
The centenarian is most excited about taking part in the sacraments. She said, "Having watched it happen for so many years, to take Communion really made me feel part of the service." "British Churchgoer Waits 101 Years to Be Baptized," Yahoo!News (11-17-05); submitted by Dana Beatty, St. Charles, Illinois.
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