Baptism

PARENTS’S REQUIREMENTS  

Parents are responsible for bringing their child to the Sacrament of Baptism as soon after birth as possible. Except in case of necessity, the church is the usual place of baptism.

In order that a child be baptized, it is necessary that the parents’ consent, or at least one of them, or someone legally standing in their place, and that there is reasonable hope that the child will be brought up in the Catholic Faith.

PARENTS’S REQUIREMENTS  

• Parents must be active registered members of the parish at least for 3 months prior.
• Call the Parish office at least one month prior the desired date to schedule an appointment with the priest. Call 617-387-0310 Monday-Friday from 9:00am-12:30pm & 1:00pm-5:00pm.
• Baptism Instruction class is required for parents and godparents.
• Children who are older than 7 years old should register to the religious education program. Those will be baptized before first communion mass. 

 Q: In having my child Baptized, what role do I play as a parent?
 
A:  By asking to have your child Baptized, parents take a promise to raise their children in the Catholic Faith.  Parents first ask the Church for Baptism and then make the sign of the Cross on the child’s forehead, claiming the child for Christ. In doing this, they publicly acknowledge that they clearly understand that in asking for their child to be baptized they are accepting the responsibility of training the child in the practice of the faith.
 
The Church teaches that there must be a “well-founded hope” that the infant will be brought up in the Catholic religion (Code of Canon Law 868 §1 No 2).
 
Within the ceremony but before the actual baptism itself, Christian parents are asked to renew their own baptismal promises, made once on their behalf by their parents and godparents; to reject Satan, all his evil works and empty promises, and profess their faith in God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, and what the Church teaches. These actions before God and all those present, are immensely important and must be done not just with the lips, but in the heart and by the lived witness of your life.

Q: I am parishioner from another parish but I would like to baptize my child at Saint Anthony’s. Is it possible?

Yes, it is. You are required to take your Baptismal Preparation in the parish in which you reside and then receive a testimonial letter from your Parish Priest to have your child baptized in another parish. This requirement respects the reality that pastors normally have sacramental jurisdiction only over their own parishioners. Therefore, when one seeks a sacrament outside of one’s parish, the proper pastor’s permission is necessary. Furthermore, the invitation to connect with one’s own proper parish first is founded on the hope that the faith-life of the family and of the one(s) to be baptized will be lived in community and not in isolation.

Q: My spouse is not Catholic, can we still have our child baptized?

 A: Yes!  Of course!  However, a non-Catholic parent does not need to make the profession of faith during the Baptism as he or she does not share the Catholic Faith. However, this parent, in requesting Baptism for the child gives his or her permission and consent for the child to be both instructed and raised in the faith of the Church in which the child is to be baptized, and will not himself or herself raise the child in another faith.
 

Q: My spouse and I are married civilly but not Sacramentally (not married in the Church, i.e., married by a JP), can we still have our child Baptized?

 A: Yes!  Of course!  But this is worth an on-going conversation. The priest would love to sit down with you and your spouse and work with you to get your marriage Sacramentalized!
 

Q: The other parent of the child and I are not married, can we still have our baby baptized?

A: Yes!  Of course!  But this is also worth an on-going conversation.  The priest would be happy to work with you and your partner in the preparation and planning of a wedding in the future, should you wish!


GODPARENT’S REQUIREMENTS (Sponsors)

 Q: Who can be a godparent?
A: In order for someone to be eligible as a godparent they must be chosen by the parents, have the ability and the intention to fulfill the role, be at least 16 years of age, and be a confirmed Roman Catholic, who has already received the Most Holy Eucharist, is leading a life in harmony with the Catholic Faith (if married,  must be married in the catholic church) and will be a good role model for the one being baptized, and be neither the father nor the mother of the child.

If the godparents are coming from another parish, they must bring a referral letter. 

Q: What are the requirements and responsibilities of a godparent?

 A: So often the common understanding of a godparent is one who will step in and raise the child should something happen to the parents.  This may be true, but is not a full understanding of godparent in the Christian context.  If that were all that it was, the sponsor would simply be called a “surrogate” or “foster parent.”  As it is, they are not; they are called “godparents”—“God” is in the title! 
 
At the beginning of the Rite of Baptism, the godparents take a promise that they will assist the parents in raising the child Catholic, and even step in and do it in their place instead, if the parents themselves fail to do so.
 
This is why the Church requires of a godparent to be both baptized and confirmed and asks that if they are married, that they have been married in the Church.  Having both received Confirmation and Sacramental Marriage is a live-witness to the Faith that the Church asks of godparents.

Q: How many godparents can I have?

 A: Traditionally, a child has 2 godparents (one from each gender), a godfather and a godmother. However, the Church only requires a minimum of 1 godparent of either gender.  The Church does not allow 2 persons of the same gender to act as sponsors for the same child.
 

Q: Can a Protestant-Christian, a member of one of the Orthodox Churches, a Catholic who is not Confirmed, or a non-baptized person (including persons from the Jewish, Muslim and Hindu, etc. traditions, as well as those who consider themselves atheist/agnostic) serve as a godparent?

 A: A baptized person who belongs to another Christian community may be admitted only as a “Christian witness” (not a godparent) provided that there is at least one Roman Catholic godparent who fulfills the above criteria. A non-baptized person cannot be a witness (Code of Canon Law, cc. 872-874; Catechism of the Catholic Church 1255).