Congratulations on the birth of your child! Or, Before your child can be baptized at Our Lady of Mercy Church please complete the following checklist. If you are an unbaptized adult and would like to receive the Sacrament of Baptism please go HERE.
Find a date for the Baptism. [ Once you send in the form, we can finalize a date.]
Find a Godparent(s) and obtain Sponsor Forms from the Parish they attend. Godparent requirements can be found below. Please ensure that sponsor forms are turned into Our Lady of Mercy at least one week prior to the Baptism.
Fill out the Baptism Registration Form. This form must be completed before a baptism can be scheduled. All information MUST be typed (not handwritten) using the fillable form. Once completed online, please save it as a PDF and email it to Fr. Mahoney. Please click HERE to fill in and complete the form.
Attend the Baptism Preparation Class, if needed. Parents are required to attend the Baptism Preparation Class if this is their first child to be baptized, or it has been longer than three years since the last Baptism. Godparent(s) are not required to attend but are encouraged. The preparation class should be taken prior to the ceremony, but they do not have to be in the same month. The class takes place inside the church. Please notify the parish if you will attend.
[Baptisms at Our Lady of Mercy Church are scheduled for the Second Sunday of every month immediately following the 10:30 AM Mass (except during the Season of Lent).]
Baptism Preparation Class
Thursday, May 2 at 6pm
Thursday, June 6 at 7pm
Monday, July 1 at 7pm
Monday, August 5 at 7pm
The Baptistery at Our Lady of Mercy Church. The font has the symbol of a dove, signifying the descent of the Holy Spirit which occurs at the moment of Baptism.
Preparation Class for the Sacrament of Baptism
The Baptismal Prep Class takes place in the church. We meet for roughly a half hour to forty-five minutes. This class explains the meaning and significance of the Sacrament of Baptism. We also explain the ceremony itself. Questions are encouraged. Parents must attend. Godparents are not required, but are encouraged to attend.
“What happens in baptism? What do we hope for from baptism? You have given a response on the threshold of this chapel: We hope for eternal life for our children. This is the purpose of baptism. But how can it be obtained? How can baptism offer eternal life? What is eternal life?”
Find a reflection on these questions and the Sacrament of Baptism in a homily delivered by Pope Benedict XI on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord during the baptism of children: Pope Benedict XVI’s homily delivered in the Sistine Chapel at a celebration of Baptisms – January 8, 2006
The Sacrament of Baptism
The Sacrament of Baptism occurs every Second Sunday of the Month after the 10:30AM Mass. The ceremony begins around 11:30AM. Parents and families are encouraged to come to the 10:30AM Mass that Sunday. During the Mass you are welcome to sit anywhere in the church. During the Baptism parents and godparents will sit in a reserved row closer to the baptistery. Other family members and friends are welcome to sit in nearby pews. The ceremony lasts for about a half hour.
Godparents
At least one godparent is required. There may be two, but there must be one man and one woman. The primary reason you choose a person to be a godparent is not because the person is a family member or friend, but because he or she is a committed and practicing Catholic.
“For the grace of Baptism to unfold, the parents’ help is important. So too is the role of the godfather and godmother, who must be firm believers, able and ready to help the newly baptized – child or adult – on the road of Christian life. Their task is a truly ecclesial function (officium). The whole ecclesial community bears some responsibility for the development and safeguarding of the grace given at Baptism.”
Most people have a false understanding of what a godparent truly is. I am sure you have heard it said, that if anything happens to the parents, the godparents will raise the child. But is that what being a godparent is all about? No, in fact, the role of the godparent is to be much more than someone to take care of the children if something happens. In fact, that may not even be their role.
So what is a godparent? A godparent is to be a witness, an inspiration, a rock solid example of what it means to be a Roman Catholic in today’s world. That means that the person must be a Catholic not only in name but by the life they lead each and every day. Think about it this way: if you were going to send your child to baseball camp in the summer, who would you want training him: Babe Ruth or someone notably terrible at baseball? You would want Babe Ruth, who not only knows the game, but is excellent and can pass on his knowledge of the game to your child.
Most people do not know the Church’s requirements for a person who is to undertake the role of godmother or godfather. In the Code of Canon Law, a book with the laws that govern and guide the life of the Catholic Church, there are specific regulations regarding sponsors (godparents) for the Sacrament of Baptism and Confirmation.
Rev. Ryan Connors performs the Sacrament of Baptism. At this moment he pours the water three times over the head of the infant while saying, “I baptize you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” He baptizes the infant with these words and actions. In so doing the infant is made a child of God and freed of Original Sin.
The requirements for godparents are:
be not less than sixteen years of age.
be a Catholic who has received the Sacraments of Baptism, First Holy Communion and Confirmation.
be registered and active members of their parish.
be living in conformity with Catholic morals and in good standing with the Catholic Church (if married, married according to the laws of the Church).
may not be the mother or father of the person to be baptized.
Finally, they must obtain a Sponsor Certificate, attesting to their fulfilling the stated requirements above, from the parish in which they are a registered member. This must be obtained at least a week prior to the Baptism.
**Before asking someone to take on the role of a sponsor, please be sure they fulfill the requirements of the Church. This will save the person from embarrassment and the family from being disappointed. The Priest has a responsibility before God and in justice to be sure these requirements are fulfilled! Click here to read a column by Bishop Tobin about the important role Godparent’s play in the formation of young people. Click here for a very informative article on Godparents according to Canon Law.
Please contact the Parish Office at 884.4968 or at parish@olmparish.org if you have further questions.