Baptism
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Baptism is the first sacrament we celebrate and one of three Sacraments of Initiation. In Baptism, we receive new life in Jesus Christ as children of God the Father. We become members of the Church, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and we are freed from original sin and all personal sins we may have committed.
An adult who wishes to be baptized in the Catholic faith needs to go through the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) process to prepare to celebrate the sacrament
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Requirements
Parents are expected to attend one reflective session on the meaning of Baptism. Attendance before the birth of the child is suggested.
In most cases, a person is baptized when they are an infant. The child is represented by his godparents; being a godparent is a spiritual commitment and the church requires that people meet certain criteria to be a godparent.
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Godparent Information
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The Catholic CHurch Requires the following of Godparents
- They must be Catholics who are baptized and confirmed and have received the first communion (note that confirmation is required for being a godparent).
- You must designate them, and they must be willing to help your child lead a Christian life in harmony with baptism and fulfill the obligations connected with it.
- They must be a least sixteen years of age.
- They must lead a life “in harmony with the faith and the role to be undertaken”.
- They must be someone besides the child’s parents.
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The Liturgy will require:
- Godparents will answer the question affirmatively: “Are you ready to help these parents in their duty as Christian mothers and fathers?”
- They will renew their baptismal vows, renouncing Satan and professing their faith in our creed;
- They may assist in lighting the child’s candle.
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You are only required to have one godparent but you may have two. The church offers no provision for three or more godparents.
If you choose only one godparent, you are free to choose a male or a female; the godparent in this case need not be the same gender as the child. However, if you wish to have two godparents they must be of different gender.
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Technically, you can not have a non-Catholic godparent, since one of the requirements under church law for godparents is having celebrated Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist in the Catholic Church.
However, there is another solution. The Church only requires that there be one godparent. A non-Catholic Christian may serve as a "witness" to the ceremony, as long as a Catholic godparent is present.
During the ritual, a non-Catholic Christian witness at a Catholic Baptism may perform all the parts of the ceremony that a godparent does. His or her name may be entered into the parish Baptism register as a witness, together with the name of the Catholic godparent.
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