Baptism Preparation for Catholic Parents

Parish Policy

St. Elizabeth Seton Church

Recommended by SES Parish Council on January 23, 2006

I. Length of Preparation

*Expectant parents should contact the parish office (235-1483) during the first three months their pregnancy to begin the process of preparation for their child’s baptism.

*Preparation for baptism of children normally takes three months and is best completed before the birth of the child. Exceptions to this time period can be made by the pastor when making the initial call to begin the process of preparation.

II. Phases of Baptismal Preparation

1.Understanding the Rite of Baptism - video viewed at home.

    2.Role and Selection of God Parents - video viewed at home.

    3.Personal Interview - at least one parent meets with SES staff member at Parish Offices – by appointment.

    4.Baptism Class - both parents and god parents attend a class (1 ½ hour) conducted once a month (Wednesday 6:30 pm) at the Ministries Building – register during Personal Interview.

III. Watch Video

    *A special Video Program has been prepared (DVD or VCR) to be viewed by the prospective parents at their home at their convenience.

    *This video should be viewed by both parents at the same time.

    *Discussion questions are provided at the end of the presentation.

IV. God Parents

    *God parents should not be selected until the parents have viewed and discussed Part II of the Baptism Video Program.

    *After viewing and discussing Part II of the video, parents should select their child’s god parents and ask them to watch Part I and Part II of the video with them.

    *It is recommended that the god parents watch the video with the parents so that all can be involved in the discussion questions – they should watch Part I and Part II together.

    *Parents will learn a great deal more by watching the video twice.

    *Parents are to return the video to the Ministries Building after it has been viewed by parents and god parents

V. Choosing A Saint’s Name

The video will explain the importance of choosing a saint’s name for your child, at least as a middle name. The following websites might be helpful in selecting names:

A. Patron Saints Alphabetical Index: http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/patron02.htm

B. Popular Saints: http://www.catholic.org/saints/

C. African Saints: http://www.nbccongress.org/black-catholics/african-saints-01.asp

VI. Scheduling Baptisms

Normally the date and time of the baptism is scheduled after all four phases have been competed. However, scheduling a tentative date is possible during the Personal Interview.

The Rite of Baptism is normally celebrated once a month on Saturdays after the 4:15 PM Mass. Exceptions can be made by the pastor.