"Infant Baptism has been practiced since apostolic times. Infants need to be baptized because through this Sacrament, they are freed from Original Sin and are welcomed into the community of the Church, where they have access to the fullness of the means of salvation. Their parents and godparents and the parish community commit themselves to their ongoing formation in faith and knowledge of the tradition of the Church. " US Catholic Catechism for Adults
**THE DATES FOR YOUR CHILD'S BAPTISM INSTRUCTION AND BAPTISM WILL BE SCHEDULED ONLY AFTER ALL COMPLETED FORMS AND ANY REQUIRED DOCUMENTS ARE REVIEWED**
For reference, Baptism Catechesis (information meeting) for parent(s) and godparent(s) is normally on the 1st Sunday of the month at 2:00pm in the upper church. Please be sure to call or email to verify. There are no meetings during Lent or on Easter.
For reference, the Sacrament of Baptism is celebrated with parent(s), godparent(s) and extended family and friends normally on the 3rd Sunday of the month at 2:00pm in the upper church. Please be sure to call or email to verify. There are no baptisms during Lent or on Easter.
1. Please complete the Baptism Request Form at the left to register.
2. We will call or email you to schedule an introductory meeting with parents and godparents. We will identify if any further information that may be necessary.
3. Please review the documents in the sidebar entitled: Baptism Sponsor Guidelines, Christian Witness and Role of Godparents to aid in your selection process and your understanding.
4. Parents who are not married are required to present a copy of the Civil Record of Birth to establish parental responsibility which will be retained by the Parish Center.
5. If you have not yet registered as a parishioner, please be sure to do so. The link is under the "About" tab. Please fully complete.
6. A final date for your child's baptism will be determined after initial meeting and discussing all information, documents, etc that may be required. You will then be notified with open date availability, final details and arrangements.
Thank you and congratulations for the wonderful
gift of Salvation you are giving your child!
"No one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit" (Jn 3:5)
In his dialogue with Nicodemus, Jesus taught that Baptism was necessary for salvation. "No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit" (Jn 3:5). After his Resurrection, Jesus met with the eleven Apostles and gave them the commission to preach the Gospel and baptize, telling them, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mk 16:16).
The word baptism in its origins is Greek and means "immersion" and "bath." Immersion in water is a sign of death and emersion out of the water means new life. To bathe in water is also to undergo cleansing. Saint Paul sums up this truth when he says, "You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead" (Col 2:12).
The origin and foundation of Christian Baptism is Jesus. Before starting his public ministry, Jesus submitted himself to the baptism given by John the Baptist. The waters did not purify him; he cleansed the waters. "He comes to sanctify the Jordan for our sake . . . to begin a new creation through the Spirit and water" (St. Gregory Nazianzen, Liturgy of the Hours, I, 634).
Jesus' immersion in the water is a sign for all human beings of the need to die to themselves to do God's will. Jesus did not need to be baptized because he was totally faithful to the will of his Father and free from sin. However, he wanted to show his solidarity with human beings in order to reconcile them to the Father.
By commanding his disciples to baptize all nations, he established the means by which people would die to sin—Original and actual—and begin to live a new life with God.
Above from United States Catholic Catechism for Adults