Baptismal Preparation Guidelines

Congratulations on the birth of your child and your desire to give your child the very best by having him or her baptized into the Catholic faith! We look forward to preparing with you for this special community event – celebrating becoming a member of the Christ’s Body, the Church, sharing in the risen life of Christ.

Please complete the online form below as you normally would, and Deacon Jim or Deacon Johan will contact you at the phone number you give.

Pastoral meetings and the group classes are currently being done mostly in person.
If needed this can be done virtually, using on line meeting software; the Pastoral meeting could also be done by telephone.

Parent Preparations for Baptism

We ask both parents to participate in:

• To allow for enough time to schedule meetings and the preparation class and to obtain the required documents, please submit your Baptism Preparation form (link below) at least 6 weeks before the baptism liturgy to be celebrated.
• Signing up online for Baptism Preparation
• One session with our Pastoral Minister to discuss faith, community involvement and your desires for your child. A member of our parish staff will call you to set up the appointment.

A Baptismal Preparation Gathering for Parents (and Godparents if possible) to deepen your understanding of baptism, the Church, and God, and to meet other couples to get to know others in the community.
Topics include parenting, sponsors, being Catholic, our relationship with God, the history of baptism and Rite of Baptism options. *Reservations required – indicate your choice on your registration form.

• The Baptismal Preparation Class is usually held in the Parish Center
  The next class is
• March 8, 2025, 1-3 pm
  Please bring a picture or sonogram of your child (or children) being baptized.
  Additional Date:
  April 5, 2025, 1-3 pm
  May 17, 2025, 1-3 pm
  June 14, 2025, 1-3 pm
• Setting a date for Baptism with the Baptismal Coordinator after all the above are completed.
  Unless approved otherwise by the Parish Leader, Baptisms are usually celebrated on Sundays after you celebrate the 9:30 am Mass, but can also be on Saturdays after you celebrate the 4 pm Mass.
  No Baptisms during Lent (except in emergency).

Sponsors and Godparents

Parents have the primary responsibility for raising their child as a Catholic. To help them carry out this responsibility, they pick one man or one woman OR one man and one woman to be Sponsors/Godparents.

The two-fold role of the Sponsor is to help the baptized person to lead a Christian life in keeping with baptism and to fulfill faithfully the obligations inherent in it, and to represent the Catholic Church community into which s/he is to be baptized and grow.

The Catholic Church requires at least 1 Sponsor who is a practicing Roman Catholic, defined as someone who:

• is at least 16 yrs old, fully initiated Catholic (Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation).
• actively practices the Catholic faith (lives the faith daily/attends Mass weekly).
• gets a letter from their parish stating they are active practicing Catholics.

A non-Catholic person, of a different sex than the Catholic Sponsor/Godparent, can serve as a Christian witness to the baptism along with the Catholic Sponsor/Godparent.

For more information, please contact Deacon Jim or Deacon Johan at (585) 247-2566.