Infant baptism is to celebrate faith already transforming the
lives of the parents and of the community a faith that will be
shared, by word and example, with the newly baptized infants as
they grow into responsible young adulthood. Parents and community
must clearly understand the Christian meaning of baptism and
freely choose to celebrate the sacrament as a time of growth in
their own relationship with God.
For
Christians, Christ is the “sacrament,” the effective sign of
God’s love and mercy and power in our lives. Since Christ acts
through His Church – the Christian community – the sacraments need
to be understood and seen in the context of the saving actions of
the community of believers. Baptism is the door to life and to the
kingdom of God. It is the beginning of the initiation into a life
committed to Christ.
Baptism is without fruit
if not lived out and calls the person in this life to actively engage
in Christ’s mission and to become like Christ--the revelation of God’s
love. Parents and the community, in choosing baptism for an infant,
accept the responsibility to continue the initiation of
the baptized through the Eucharist and Confirmation--growth towards
Christian maturity.
For an infant to be baptized lawfully it is required:
• that the parents, or at least one of them, or the person who lawfully holds place, give their consent;
• that there be a well-founded hope that the child will be brought up in the Catholic religion.
Arrangements
for Baptism are to be made through a personal conversation with
the parish priest or designated minister--prior to the Baptism.
The
purpose of this is for the Church to express our joy at the birth
of their child, help the parents come to the awareness of the
significance of this event in the faith life of their family and
to extend an invitation to parents and families to enter more
fully into the life of the church and to discern their openness
to do so. Parents may arrange for this conversation prior to
the birth of their child.
Parents are
expected to participate in a preparation process for the
baptism of their children. In the baptism of infants, parents take
responsibility for choosing a godparent(s) who will serve as good
examples for living the Catholic way of life.
A
godparent can later serve as a sponsor of the child when he/she is
confirmed. It is customary to have two godparents, however only one
is required for baptism. A godparent may be either male or
female. If two Godparents are chosen, one must be male and one
female. A godparent must be a fully initiated Roman Catholic,
(baptized, confirmed and receiving the Eucharist), at
least sixteen years of age. A baptized non-Catholic may be chosen
as a Christian witness provided there is at least one Catholic
godparent.
To learn more about the sacrament
of Baptism or to arrange for the Baptism of your child, please
contact our parish office at 623-930-1127.