The public recitation of baptismal vows should be familiar to most practicing Catholics. The vows consist of a series of questions whereby the faithful are invited to renounce Satan, his works, and his empty promises. As infants receiving the sacrament of Baptism, our parents and sponsors make these vows on our behalf. As adults, usually under the circumstances of a special solemnity, we make them on behalf of ourselves. It affords us the opportunity to reaffirm the promises that first brought us into the Church and that bind us to it today as loyal members. Like most prayers within a liturgical setting, the vows follow a formula: the prescribed words have a precise order and meaning. However, because the prayer is so well-known and identifiable, it can easily become the subject of parody, as was the case recently in a New York City parish. …