From the Catechism

From the very day of Pentecost the Church has celebrated and administered holy Baptism. Indeed St. Peter declares to the crowd astounded by his preaching: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." The apostles and their collaborators offer Baptism to anyone who believed in Jesus: Jews, the God-fearing, pagans. Always, Baptism is seen as connected with faith: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household," St. Paul declared to his jailer in Philippi. And the narrative continues, the jailer "was baptized at once, with all his family."

According to the Apostle Paul, the believer enters through Baptism into communion with Christ's death, is buried with him, and rises with him: Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

The baptized have "put on Christ." Through the Holy Spirit, Baptism is a bath that purifies, justifies, and sanctifies.

Hence Baptism is a bath of water in which the "imperishable seed" of the Word of God produces its life-giving effect. St. Augustine says of Baptism: "The word is brought to the material element, and it becomes a sacrament."

(CCC 1226-28)

Baptism for Children

Baptism begins our life in the Church: through Baptism we are free from original sin. Baptism takes away any personal sins and starts us on our journey of faith in the Church. We are reborn of the water and the Spirit and share in the life of the risen Jesus. Baptism is the most important gift we can give our children. It gives them “new life” in the water and Spirit and affirms them as members of the parish community.

Children over the age of 7, who have not been baptized, can be baptized during many different times in the year. Classes are necessary for the parents and godparents. See our Infant Baptism page for details. Children over 7 years of age are considered of the "age of reason" and therefore are able to make a personal and conscious decision with the help of their parents/guardians. In order to help them, special classes are needed which will help them not only prepare for baptism, but the other rites of entrance as well, Confirmation and Eucharist.

Baptismal Requirements:

A copy of the Birth Certificate.

Attendance in Sacramental Preparation Classes, also known as the R.C.I.C. or Rite of Christian Initiation adapted for Children.

These children will enter a preparation period which spans a school year. They attend classes that will help them understand the meaning of baptism and how they can live out their lives as Catholics. In addition, due to the maturity of their age, these children will also receive the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist.

Godparents must be at least 16 yrs old and living in harmony with the Church.

After the completion of the classes, if the child is ready, typically they will be baptized during the Easter Vigil Mass along with the teens and adults who have also been preparing throughout the year.

For further information and details about preparation classes, contact the Religious Education Office: 541-479-4848 or 541-479-4866 or email Terry Knouff, the Coordinator of Faith Formation. See the Contacts link for her e-mail address.

"Incorporated in the Church through baptism, the faithful are destined by the baptismal character for the worship of the Christian religion; reborn as sons of God they must confess before men the faith which they have received from God through the Church" - Lumen Gentium 11