Congratulations! In celebrating the birth of your child, we celebrate a person born into the human family, an event of great proportions. A person is “born again” through the waters of baptism into the church community of faith. This rebirth gives promise, hope, and an expectation that our world will be a better place. Thus we always welcome new members to our community, especially children who can be formed by the Word of God into active, Catholic Christians.  This is a process that takes many years and much guidance, and baptism is only the first step on that long journey.   Because baptism is a sacrament of belonging, in having your child baptized, you will be making a promise to God and to his Church to raise your child in the practice of the Catholic faith; specifically to keep the commandments, by loving God, and loving one another as Jesus has taught us. It is our desire to assist you in this responsibility of forming your child in order that he or she may become an active and vital part of Jesus’ Church.

Today’s understanding of baptism emphasizes an enlivened faith, a meaningful celebration of the ceremony, and a nourished sense of our ongoing mission as Catholic-Christians. The challenges of such involvement on your part highlight the beauty of this time in our personal family, whether this is your first child or one of several children. We invite you to view this process of having your child baptized as a time of faith growth, not as a burden to get through. We hope this information assists you in the journey to fulfill your role as Christian parents. Please remember that you do not walk this path alone. We are with you always as members of a parish family.

The following are requirements for infant or children under 7 Baptism:

Only children of registered parishioners may be baptized.  If you are registered in another church, you must bring a letter from the Pastor of that church giving us permission to perform the Baptism. If you are registering today, you must wait three months before scheduling the baptism, and demonstrate continual church attendance during those three months.

Ordinarily there are two Godparents, however, only one is necessary. If there are two Godparents, one must be male, the other female. There may be only one godmother and one godfather.

Guidelines for choosing godparents:

1. a) They must be Roman Catholic.
2. b) They must be at least 17 years of age.
3. c) They must have received the Sacrament of Confirmation.
4. d) They should be living a life in harmony with the faith and be practicing the faith so that they can assume the role they are undertaking.

Documents needed:

1. a) Birth Certificate for the child being baptized.
2. b) A letter from their Pastor stating that the intended godparents are qualified to be godparents.

The parents and godparents must attend the Baptismal Program.  If anything happens that one of the parties cannot attend the program, the Baptism will have to be rescheduled to a date after the requirement is met.

For children over the age of 7 and adults please contact the office to schedule a time to meet with DRE or a Priest

Anyone interested in learning more about this ministry should contact the parish office at 864-226-8621 or by e-mail.