Baptism At St. Patrick Church

Preparation
Parents are strongly encouraged to contact the parish during pregnancy to begin the preparation process. This will help to avoid delays in the celebration of the sacrament.

Parents are asked to attend a baptism seminar with the pastor in preparation for the baptism of their child. Parents requesting baptism for their child should call the office (337-237-0988) and set up an appointment with the pastor.

This seminar focuses upon providing parents with the opportunity to reflect on where they are in their faith journey, how well they are living their faith, and how they hope to share their faith with the child they are preparing to welcome. In requesting baptism for their child, parents are making the solemn commitment to teach their child about living the faith as s/he grows and matures. Therefore, parents are expected to be actively practicing the faith (e.g., at least regularly attending Sunday Mass) that they are promising to hand on to their child. The seminar will also examine various elements of the Rite of Baptism, helping parents to understand the responsibility that is theirs in raising their child in the faith.

Scheduling the ceremony
Baptisms at St. Patrick are scheduled individually depending upon the availability of the parents, godparents, family, etc. They are usually held after the 4 p.m. or the 10 a.m. Masses on the weekend, enabling the family to attend the Mass and simply remain for the baptism. Parents who attend the seminar during pregnancy may simply call the office to schedule the celebration of the sacrament.

Godparents
A godparent must be baptized and confirmed in the Catholic faith. Godparents should be actively practicing their faith, in good standing with the Church, and willing to support the parents in raising the child in the faith. Only one godparent is required for baptism, who may be male or female. If two godparents are chosen, they cannot be of the same sex (e.g., two women). Persons who are not Catholic may not be godparents.