Baptism
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Matthew 28:19
We are delighted that you have chosen St. Bernadette Parish to celebrate your child's initiation into the Christian Church.
Please complete our baptism registration form.
After we have received your Godparent's letter of suitability and baptism preparation class is complete (if applicable), we will work with you to schedule your child's baptism. Please return the form to the parish office, or email the form directly to Mrs. Airryn Sorto.
Mrs. Sorto will contact within 72 hours of receiving the registration form. Baptisms are being scheduled roughly 4- 6 weeks after receiving registration.
Preparation
Parents are asked to participate in our baptism preparation session. These sessions are generally scheduled every month. If you are interested in baptism preparation, please contact our sacramental coordinator, Airryn Sorto.
Godparents
The Church invites the candidate for Baptism to be presented by one or two sponsors, often called godparents. The Church’s sacraments are always celebrated in the context of faith. When the candidate for Baptism is too young to understand that faith, it is the faith of the parents and godparents that is essential for the proper reception of the sacrament.
The role of sponsor is to be a model of the faith that the Baptism candidate will embrace and practice as he or she grows in understanding. Obviously, as in any organization, one cannot sponsor someone for “membership,” unless sponsor is a full member in good standing. As such, the sponsor (godparent) is attesting to his or her own practice of the faith in accepting this role and are accepting the responsibility to encourage and support the candidate in his/her practice of the faith.
A sponsor for Baptism must be someone other than a parent of the Candidate. If there are two sponsors, they need to represent both genders. If only one sponsor (which is permissible) the sponsor may be either gender. The sponsor must be fully initiated in the Church, that is, received the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation and has reached the age of 16. If married, the sponsor must be in a sacramental marriage recognized by the Church. (C. 873-874). The sponsor/godparent must be a practicing Catholic, who is registered with a local parish and able to participate in the sacramental life of the Church.
The Catholic Church requires that only one sponsor be a Catholic. If you choose two sponsors, one may be a non Catholic but must be a Christian. A Christian witness must be a baptized person of good moral character who strives to live up to the values of the Gospel and adheres to the tenets of their own Christian faith. This person must be baptized in a Christian faith whose baptism is recognized and accepted by the Catholic Church. This includes most of the “main line” Christian churches (Episcopalian, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, etc.) as well as many evangelical Christian churches. It does not include Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, or The Salvation Army. Also, those who are non-Christians (Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, etc.) may not stand as Christian witnesses.
Some families have a beautiful tradition where the child may have several people serve as godparents. While we welcome all godparents in joining us for the baptism, and accompanying the child on their faith journey, please be advised that only two people can be recorded in our sacramental records as official godparents.
Please have those who you have chosen to be sponsors/godparents complete one of the following forms and return it to the parish office. This letter should be submitted at least four weeks prior to the Baptism.
If you have any questions regarding baptism and/or godparents, please contact sacramental coordinator, Airryn Sorto.