St. Joseph Church

Baptism

Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word.

Catechism of the Catholic Church 1213

Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other Sacraments. The prayers of Baptism demonstrate how the love of parents for their child reflect the way God looks at each person. Those Baptized are reborn as children of God, become part of the family of Jesus, become members of the Church and share in the mission of the Church.

Baptism (together with Confirmation and Eucharist) reveals how God wants each of us to belong to Him. This connection with God also connects us to every other Baptized person prompting us to care for others and form a community of faith and love with other believers that continue to reveal God’s love to the world. Baptism also reveals our purpose in life: to know, love and serve God in all kinds of ways, but especially through one another.

How to begin preparing for the Baptism of a child

The following directions apply to infants and children under 12 years of age. Children in grades seven or above, having reached the age of reason, will instead prepare to receive all of the Sacraments of Initiation, i.e. Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.

At St. Joseph Church, parents are welcome to present their children to receive the Sacrament of Baptism. Recognizing the busy lives of many families, the process of preparing for Baptism is flexible. Most of the preparation is completed online at home at whatever pace the parents feel comfortable with; for most families, this takes about three or four weeks to complete. After registering, parents will meet with a priest where the preparation will be assigned.

Children from other parishes

For a pastoral reason, perhaps to make it possible for family members to participate, etc., it is possible for children of families who neither worship at nor live in the region served by St. Joseph Church to celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism at St. Joseph Church. These families will need to speak with their priest about this and about completing any Baptism preparation required. Parents will then ask their priest for a letter indicating they are properly prepared for the Baptism and granting permission for their child to be Baptized at St. Joseph Church in Bowmanville.

Is there any kind of fee?

No child will be denied the Sacrament of Baptism for financial reasons. However, parents are asked to provide a $50 stipend to the parish. This stipend can be delivered to the parish office or to the parish priest at the end of a Sunday Mass.

Register to prepare for the Baptism of a child

When can a date for Baptism be set?

After registering their child, completing the preparation and submitting information about Godparents, parents will be invited to pick a date and time for the Baptism. At St. Joseph Church, Baptisms are celebrated three weekends every month. No dates are confirmed until the assigned preparation work is complete and at least one Godparent has been approved.

Who can be a Godparent?

The requirements for Godparents are:

  • The child to be baptized must have only one Godfather or one Godmother or one of each.
  • Godparents must be chosen by the one to be baptized or by the parents.
  • Godparents must be at least 16 years of age, free of any canonical penalties and cannot be a parent of the one to be Baptized
  • Godparents must be practicing Catholics leading lives in harmony with the Roman Catholic faith.
  • Godparents must be willing to make the promise found in the Baptismal Ritual; this promise can be found below.
  • Godparents must have received the Sacraments of Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation within the Catholic Church.

In some cases, potential Godparents will be asked to submit some evidence of their own Confirmation. Evidence of Confirmation might be:

  • A Baptism or Confirmation celebrated at St. Joseph Church – If the potential Godparent was Confirmed at St. Joseph Church or Baptized at St. Joseph Church and Confirmed elsewhere, our office can look that up.
  • A Confirmation Certificate – Many were given a Confirmation certificate at their Confirmation. If a potential Godparent cannot find a certificate, another can be obtained from the church in which they received the Sacrament of Confirmation. Sometimes, it may be possible to also get a copy of a Confirmation Certificate from the Catholic church the potential Godparent was married in.
  • Marriage in a Catholic church within a nation where Confirmation is a requirement for Marriage – In some countries outside of North America, those getting married in a Catholic church must have first received the Sacrament of Confirmation. Potential Godparents may submit a Marriage certificate from such a country along with a letter from a priest that attests to the fact that Confirmation was a requirement for those seeking Marriage at the time the marriage of the potential Godparent took place.
  • A Sacramental Record showing the date and place of Confirmation – If they don’t have one on hand, potential Godparents can request a Sacramental Record from the church they were Baptized in. This record will show information about their Confirmation.
  • An eyewitness testimony – Were there any eyewitnesses to the Confirmation of the potential Godparent? Their own Confirmation Sponsor, a parent, teacher, classmate, sibling or anyone who was present at the ceremony can write a letter attesting to the Confirmation of a potential Godparent.
  • A picture of their Confirmation – Potential Godparents can submit a picture of their Confirmation as evidence of their Confirmation.
  • A Confirmation certificate, Baptism Certificate or Sacramental Record indicating they have been a Godparent or Sponsor in the past – If the potential Godparent has been a Godparent or Confirmation Sponsor in the past, they can submit any Baptism or Confirmation Certificate or any Sacramental Record that lists them as a Godparent or Confirmation Sponsor.
  • Testimony from a Sponsee or Godchild – If the potential Godparent has been a Godparent or Confirmation Sponsor in the past, they can submit a letter from their Godchild or Sponsee attesting this fact. If they were ever a Godparent or Confirmation Sponsor at a Baptism or Confirmation celebrated at St. Joseph Church, our office can look this up.

Christian Witness

When parents are considering who to select as Godparents for their child, sometimes they recognize qualities within a Baptized non-Catholic that would make for a good Godparent. A baptized person belonging to a non-Catholic Christian community may be included as a witness to a baptism so long as the one to be baptized also has a Catholic Godparent. This Christian Witness makes the same promises as a Godparent would, participates in the ritual in the same way as a Godparent and are recorded in the baptismal register along with the Godparent as a Christian Witness.

Other special persons

While a maximum of two individuals will be recorded as Godparents and listed on certificates, parents who struggle to select just one or two individuals may wish to honour other special individuals by inviting them to stand alongside Godparents in the Baptismal Ritual.

The Baptismal Promise

Before a child is baptized, parents and Godparents must be willing to make a solemn this promise before their child, the Church and God:

The celebrant addresses the parents in these or similar words:
In asking for Baptism for your child, you are undertaking the responsibility of raising him (her) in the faith, so that, keeping God’s commandments, he (she) may love the Lord and his (her) neighbour as Christ has taught us. Do you understand this responsibility?

Parents: We do.

Then, turning to the godparent(s), the celebrant asks in these or similar words:
Are you ready to help the parents of this child in their duty?

Godparents: We are.