From the Catechism

"Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word."

Born with a fallen human nature and tainted by original sin, children also have need of the new birth in Baptism to be freed from the power of darkness and brought into the realm of the freedom of the children of God, to which all men are called. The sheer gratuitousness of the grace of salvation is particularly manifest in infant Baptism. The Church and the parents would deny a child the priceless grace of becoming a child of God were they not to confer Baptism shortly after birth.

Christian parents will recognize that this practice also accords with their role as nurturers of the life that God has entrusted to them.

The practice of infant Baptism is an immemorial tradition of the Church. There is explicit testimony to this practice from the second century on, and it is quite possible that, from the beginning of the apostolic preaching, when whole "households" received baptism, infants may also have been baptized.

(CCC 1213, 1250-52)

Baptism of Infants

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.

Baptismal Requirements:

A copy of the Birth Certificate.

Attendance in Baptismal Preparation Class.

Parents and Godparents are required to participate in the 2 one hour baptismal preparation classes. This class helps provide and support parents in the on-going faith formation of their child. Godparents must be at least 16 yrs old and living in harmony with the Church.

After the completion of the class your child’s baptism will be scheduled.

Baptisms are celebrated during the Sunday Mass on the fourth Sunday of the month.

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

Infant baptism includes newborn babies up to children who have not yet reached the age of 7 years. Children who have reached the age of 7 who have not been baptized should proceed with the R.C.I.C. program. Adults seeking to be baptized should proceed with the R.C.I.A. program.

"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