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The Celebration of a Baptism
Preamble:
As you are seeking the baptism of your child in the Roman Catholic Church, the following guidelines are presented to help you embark upon this journey of faith with Christ and his Church.
Through Baptism, God enables us to participate in his life in Jesus Christ and makes us his children. It is through this sacrament that we receive the Holy Spirit and become members of the People of God, of the Body of Christ, which is the Church. Baptism becomes our commitment to grow in this new life and to strive to acquire spiritual maturity. By baptism, God purifies us from sin.
Baptism is the sacrament of faith which has the Risen Christ as its source, and it is the offer of salvation for all people. Intimately linked to Confirmation and to Eucharist, Baptism is, with these two sacraments, Christian Initiation. The child is baptized in the faith of their parents, godparents and of the Church.
Prerequisites for the Celebration of Baptism at St. John the Evangelist
1. Both parents and sponsors must attend Baptismal classes and must be active practicing members of St. John’s or St. Ann’s church.
2. In order for someone to be eligible as a godparent they must be chosen by the parents, have the ability and the intention to fulfill the role, be at least 16 years of age, and be a confirmed Roman Catholic, who has already received the Most Holy Eucharist, is leading a life in harmony with the Catholic Faith (including Marriage) and will be a good role model for the one being baptized, and be neither the father nor the mother of the child.
A person may only have one or two godparents (also called sponsors); if two are chosen, they must be male and female.
3. Sponsors must be married through the Catholic Church. If they are just Civilly Married they cannot act as sponsors. (Need proof of this marriage)
4. If the sponsors belong to another Catholic Church they must bring a letter from their Parish priest stating that they are active members in good standing and that they can act as sponsors of Baptism.
A baptized person who belongs to another Christian community (non-Catholic) may be admitted only as a “Christian witness” (not a godparent) provided that there is at least one Roman Catholic godparent who fulfills the above criteria.
A non-baptized person cannot be a witness (Code of Canon Law, cc. 872-874; Catechism of the Catholic Church 1255).
5. Before starting the pre-baptismal classes or setting up any date for the actual baptism, parents of the child must come by the office and bring the original birth certificate of the child being baptized.
6. Only the Parents of the Child or Legal Guardian can Request the Sacrament of Baptism for the child.
7. When attending classes please do not bring young children, find someone to babysit. So that there will be no distractions during the classes and you will understand the lesson better.
Questions Call the Parish Office.
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Pre-Baptismal class
Classes are offered every third Monday of the month, you must call the parish office to register for this class.
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