Our Lady
Infant Baptism
One of the most precious gifts is the gift of faith.
It is a lovely thing when parents wish to raise their child, an equally precious gift, to know and love Jesus - and found their lives on the rock of his love and goodness.Parents who wish to take on that responsibility, can find themselves in all sorts of circumstances.
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Sometimes both parents are Catholics, and are regular at Sunday Mass, actively seeking to live their Christian faith. Sometimes one parent is active in living their Catholic faith and the other parent comes from a different Christian tradition and may be active in that or not. Sometimes one parent may be of a different faith, and in some cases one parent may not have any faith in God. In some cases, parents are both baptised Catholic but have not taken part in the shared life of the Church for some time.
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Sometimes parents are married in the§ Catholic church. Sometimes they have married outside of the Catholic Church. Sometimes they are not married.
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Sometimes the parents of a child are no longer together, and sometimes just one parent now shoulders the responsibility for parenting their child or in partnership with a step parent.
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And then there are families with two mothers, or two fathers, and so on.
Every family is different. But in all these cases and more, our parish is ready to try and support parents who are ready to step forward and prepare to take on the responsibilities of bringing up their children in the practice of our Catholic faith.
The Church speaks of how each family is invited to learn to live as a domestic church. The family at home is seen as THE place where parents and children share faith, learn to pray, develop and deepen their relationship with God, and neighbour.
Parents are called to be leaders of the domestic church – exercising their role there, sharing in the ministry of Jesus as prophet, priest and king.
This vocation is a privileged one. It can also be a challenging one.
So at Our Lady & St. Brigid’s parish, we give time and space for parents to consider different aspects of the life of faith which they are invited to make their own and that they will want to share with their children in the years following baptism.
Typically this will include times to reflect together on
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the power of prayer
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who Jesus is
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the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist
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and parenthood
If you are a parent considering baptism for your child, and this is something that you want to explore further, then please come to Sunday Mass, and have a conversation with Fr. Cecil afterwards.
Baptism in the Roman Catholic Church
Baptism is the first sacrament that a person receives in the Roman Catholic Church. It opens the door to all the other sacraments. Roman Catholics practice infant baptism, believing that it is important for a child of believing parents to be made one with Christ and introduced into Christian life as a practicing Catholic as soon as possible. By PRACTICING CATHOLIC the Church means;
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You attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.
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You confess your sins at least once a year.
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You humbly receive your Creator in Holy Communion at least during the Easter season.
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You observe the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence.
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You help to provide for the needs of the Church.
Like all other sacraments, faith is essential to Baptism. This faith is not demanded of the child but is supplied by the parents and by the whole church community.
Godparents are chosen (at least one of whom must be a practicing Catholic) who will act as witnesses at the baptism and promise to offer help and encouragement to the child in their religious development.
Before the baptism, parents will usually meet with their local priest, to make sure they fully understand the importance of the promises they will be making on behalf of their child. They may attend a pre-baptism course.
The ceremony of baptism
Baptisms take place during Sunday Mass. The ceremony is highly symbolic and represents a journey into Christian life. The stages of the journey take place in four different parts of the church.
1. At the door – the child, parents and godparents are greeted by the priest and welcomed into the church. The priest asks the parents for the child’s name. To call a child by his or her name shows the uniqueness of each individual before God. The tradition is that one of the child’s names should be that of a saint. The parents and godparents are then asked questions to determine the depth of their religious faith. One of the godparents must be an active, fully initiated Roman Catholic.
2. At the ambo (reading desk / pulpit / lectern) – here the word of God is read and the priest gives a homily (sermon) to those gathered for Mass.
3. At the font - After the homily, we move to the Font, where the infant is anointed with the oil of catechumens. This is to symbolise the healing of God and to ward off evil. The priest reinforces this by placing his hands on the child and asking for God’s blessing.
Then the water is blessed, after which the priest asks the parents and godparents to make vows on behalf of the child. For example:
Priest:“Do you reject Satan and all his works and all his empty promises?”
Parents:“I do.”
Priest:“Do you believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of Heaven and Earth?”
Parents:“I do.”
The priest then pours water over the child’s head three times while saying, “I baptise you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” This is the actual moment that the sacrament takes effect on the life of the child and it is followed by three other symbolic acts:
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The candidate is anointed with the oil of chrism, making them one with Christ, who is prophet, priest and king.
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A white shawl is wrapped around the baby, symbolic of the new life they have received.
The prayers of the faithful (prayers for others) follow and the mass continues.
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At the end of Mass, before the blessing and dismissal, the parents are given a candle, lit from the Paschal candle. As the priest hands the candle to the parents he says, “Receive the light of Christ … May s/he keep the flame of Christ alive in his / her heart”.
In the Roman Catholic Church infant baptism is a way in which parents can give thanks to God for the gift of their child. According to Catholic teaching it also brings about important changes in the life of the child.
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Forgiveness of sins – all sins are forgiven, both original sin and personal sin.
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Adoption as a child of God – the child now has a spiritual side to his/her nature and belongs to Christ.
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Membership of the body of Christ – this means the child is now a member of the Church and can have unity with other Christians.
Symbols used in baptism
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Water – this symbolises cleansing and new life. The baptismal water washes away the child’s original sin. There is death to the old life and the new child of God can now share in the eternal life promised by Christ.
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Oil – in Bible times, kings were anointed on the head with oil as a sign of being chosen by God to perform a special task. In the baptismal ceremony, oil symbolises that each child has been chosen by God.
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White garment – the early Christians put on white garments after they had been baptised to show that Christ had cleansed their sins. The white shawl placed around the child today symbolises the same thing.
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Light – the candle handed to the child’s parents is a challenge to carry the light of Christ in a dark world. This candle is lit from the Paschal candle and it symbolises that the faith of the Catholic Church is being passed to the child.
All of the above information applies to Baptism of an infant or young child only. If you have a child to be baptized who has reached catechetical age/the age of reason (Year 3 or 7 years), you and they will receive different preparation. Having sufficient understanding, the preparation will now be for the full complement of the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.
Those children already baptized in other Christian communities will be prepared to make a profession of faith into the Catholic Church and will receive the sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation in the rite of Reception into Full Communion with the Catholic Church.
GODPARENTS: The person being baptised, may only have one or two godparents (also called sponsors); if two are chosen, they must be male and female.
In order for someone to be eligible as a godparent they must be chosen by the parents, have the ability and the intention to fulfil the role, be at least 16 years of age, and be a confirmed Roman Catholic, who has already received the Most Holy Eucharist, is a practicing Catholic and will be a good role model for the one being baptized, and be neither the father nor the mother of the child.
A baptized person who belongs to another Christian community may be admitted only as a “Christian witness” (not a godparent) provided that there is at least one Roman Catholic godparent who fulfils the above criteria. A non-baptized person cannot be a witness (Code of Canon Law, cc. 872-874; Catechism of the Catholic Church 1255).
Maybe the invitation implied in what envelopes the Baptism of your child prompts you to be baptised, or confirmed or married as part of the wonderful step you are taking on behalf of your child. It’s never too late to take a step that others might have already taken a long time ago. Your journey to God and with God is unique – maybe making it with and for your child is God’s plan for you. Lets chat about it if you so desire.
RESOURCES
What Constitutes a Practicing Catholic? YouTube by Fr. Mike Schmitz
The Sanctifying Role of the Church (Code of Canon Law, c. 842, 849; Catechism of the Catholic Church 1213, 1263, 1265, 1267-1270)
Basic Guidelines and Information for Infant (to include young children) Baptism (Code of Canon Law, cc. 867-868; Catechism of the Catholic Church 1251)
Baptismal Preparation in your Parish (Code of Canon Law, c. 851; Catechism of the Catholic Church 843)
Other Information (Catechism of the Catholic Church 857)
Catholic infant Baptism resources to watch at home;