Baptism

The Sacrament of Baptism

Welcome! We welcome your family on this joyous occasion of the celebration of your child’s baptism! We look forward to assisting your family in preparing for the baptism of your child. The baptism preparation session at the Taunton Catholic North Collaborative is designed to provide the formation and information needed to fully understand the Sacrament of Baptism and your role as a Catholic parent/godparent.

We hope here to provide you with some basic information about the preparation process and requirements. It will outline the parish’s approach to infant baptism.

What are the requirements for parents presenting a child for baptism?
At least one parent must be a practicing Catholic, who is committed to raising the child in the Catholic faith. A parent that is not Catholic has to express a willingness to help and create a home where a child will receive an environment to grow in faith as taught by the Catholic Church.

The family asking for their child to be baptized at any of the three Parishes must be a registered member of the Parish. If not, you can print and fill out the registration form at home by clicking here. Printed forms are also found in the three Churches. You can bring the completed form to the Parish Office during business hours. Either way be certain to introduce yourself to Fr. Babiczuk.

What are the requirements for godparents/sponsors?
It is important to realize that in the Catholic Church a Sponsor/Godparent is just not an honorary title that we bestow on close friends. This is how it is viewed in our culture, but not in the Catholic Church. The Church looks upon a godparent/sponsor as a religious vocation. Godparents are members of the Christian community who, by their lives and their faith, set a good example for the child whose initiation into this community they are sponsoring. To put it in contemporary terms, Godparents are mentors in the ways of the Catholic faith.

Based upon this understanding of what it means to be a godparent/sponsor, the following are the requirements of a Godparent as found in the Code of Cannon Law.

Usually a child has two godparents, but only one is necessary. If there are two, they can not be of the sex.
Godparents must be at least 16 years of age, practicing Catholics, and have received all the Sacraments if initiation: Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation. If they are Catholic and married, they must be married in the Catholic Church.
Parents of the child can not be Godparents, but grandparents can be.
If the Catholic Godparents are married, they must be married in the Church.
It is possible for a non-Catholic Christian to be a Christian witness as long as one godparent is Catholic. A Catholic who has left the faith can not be a Christian witness.

Godparents are required to go to the Parish where they belong to at the time of the baptism to get a sponsor form which show that they have met these requirements. They do not go to the Parish to which they belonged when they were baptized, or received the other sacraments of initiation, but to the Parish to which they belong at the present time. It is best to call that Parish office in advance to ask for the certificate.

In the three Parishes of the Collaborative, Fr. Babiczuk gives out sponsor forms after Mass. Do not make an appointment to meet with Fr. Babiczuk to get a sponsor form. Call the office to register for a form, and meet with him after Mass.

Finding a godparent in some circumstances may be difficult. In such situation, we ask that parents speak to Fr. Babiczuk about this problem.

If Godparent(s) cannot be present for your child’s baptism, you may choose others to stand in as proxies for the Baptism ceremony. Only the names of the chosen (actual) godparents will appear on the Baptism certificate.

How to Register for Baptism at all three Parishes.
First step in having your child baptized is to call the Parish Office and make an appointment with Fr Babiczuk. This initial meeting is with both parents. You can bring the baby to the meeting. One purpose of this meeting is for Fr. Babiczuk to get to know you since Baptismal Preparation and Baptism itself is conducted by the deacons. At this time we will discuss sensitive issues such as being married outside of the Church, picking a Godparents, and returning to Mass if you have been away. You should not ask anyone to be a sponsor before this meeting because we will discuss the requirements and vocation of being a Godparent/sponsor.

Baptismal Preparation
It is necessary to attend a Baptismal Preparation session before celebrating the sacrament. No exceptions. Baptismal Preparation is conducted in the Church at St. Anthony by Deacon Medina on fourth Tuesday of the month at 6:30pm. You can change your session by calling the Parish Office in advance.

Baptisms at St. Anthony
The Sacrament of Baptism is celebrated by Deacon Medina on the first Sunday of the month. It is celebrated in English after the 9am Mass and in Portuguese after the 11am Mass.

Baptism at St Jude
The Sacrament of Baptism is celebrated by Deacon Phil on the last Sunday of the Month following the 11:15am Mass.

Baptism at St. Mary
Baptisms at St. Mary are celebrated on the Second Sunday of the month following the 10am Mass.

The Sacrament of Baptism

Further Reading