Baptism

Page last updated: 8/24/2021

Baptism is God's most beautiful and magnificent gift. . . .

We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality,

bath of rebirth, seal, and most precious gift.

It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own;

grace since it is given even to the guilty;

Baptism because sin is buried in the water;

anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed;

enlightenment because it radiates light;

clothing since it veils our shame;

bath because it washes;

and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God's Lordship.

-St. Gregory Of Nazianzus, Oratio

Baptism is a most precious and free gift from God. Parents seeking baptism for their children are welcome to schedule the sacrament at Holy Family. Please contact us at least one month before the day you anticipate having your child baptized. The one-page registration form found below can be completed and submitted to the parish office, or you can call us at 812-482-3076, and the Parish Secretary can fill out the form for you over the phone. Baptisms are normally scheduled for Sundays during the 10:30 am Mass. If you require a different time, please let the Parish Secretary know when you contact her. Baptisms are rarely scheduled during Lent with some exceptions.

If this is your first child, you will need to make an appointment for a preparation session prior to the Baptism. The appointment can be scheduled for evenings or weekends to accommodate the your schedule. Email [email protected] or call 812-482-3076 ex 304 to make an appointment.

Picking Godparents: What is a Godparent, what is a Christian Witness, and why does the Church make this so frustrating?

Christian witnesses and godparents are two very different roles intended to accomplish two different things. A Christian witness is any baptized person of age who witnesses the baptism. It must be someone other than the parents. Christian witness are sometimes Catholic and sometimes non-Catholic. Baptisms are witnesses for the same reason weddings are witnessed. The purpose is to have a third party as a witness that the legal act of the wedding (or baptism) occurred before their eyes.

A Godparents is more than just a witness however, and the Catholic Church is much pickier about the requirements that someone must meet to be eligible for the role of Godparent. Godparents are Catholics who agree to help parents undertake the task of raising children in the Catholic faith. Their role doesn't end after the baptismal ceremony is over. Rather, that is where their role begins, praying for their godchild and assisting that child's formation in the faith for the rest of their life. This is a great honor and responsibility that should not be accepted lightly by the godparent, or asked lightly by the parents. The Catholic Church takes the role of godparent so serious that not even all Catholics are eligible for the role of godparent (even though just about any Catholic or baptized non-Catholic can be a Christian witness). The reason for this restriction in Church law is because the role of godparent is considered so incredibly important that it is an officium, or office in the Church. From the point of view of the Church, picking a godparent is not just a social custom like picking a maid-of-honor or best man for your wedding. For instance, priests have an officium in the Church, as does a parish youth minister or parish catechetical leader. It means the position comes with certain rights and responsibilities levied by the Church. This confusion about the intent of godparents is the reason why a lot of Catholics find the rules about who can and can't be a godparent frustrating, and why people often don't understand the distinction between godparents and Christian witnesses. It is a common subject for parishes to receive questions on.

According to the laws of the Catholic Church, a person is eligible to be a godparent only if that person:

is at least 16 years old,
is a faithful Catholic,
has received both the sacraments of 1st communion and confirmation,
has been designated by the parents as a godparent, and cannot be the parent of the child
is not under a canonical penalty (which is a penalty in Church law, such as a Catholic being a heretic, a Catholic living with a partner when they are not married to each other, or a Catholic who married outside of the Church without permission).

That's a lot of requirements! Remember in the eyes of the Catholic Church, those godparents share the responsibility to make sure your baby will grow up Catholic.

Baptism requires at least 1 godparents. There can be 2 godparents if one is a man and one is a woman. There can also be 1 godparents and 1 Christian witness if one is a man and the other is a woman.

Documents

Documents can be submitted to Holy Family Catholic Church, 950 Church Ave., Jasper, IN 47546 or emailed to either Diane Verkamp at [email protected] or Joseph H. Munning IV at [email protected] Diane and Joseph can be reached at 812-482-3076 for questions, concerns, or to schedule a baptism.

Infant Registration Form - Fill out and email the office or mail them to begin preparation for baptism. You will be contacted to schedule a date for baptism.
Godparent Form - Fill out and email or mail. Each requested Godparent should sign their own copy before returning it to the parish at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the baptism.
Christian Witness Form - For those nominated as Christian Witnesses of baptism but not eligible or requested to be a Godparent. This form should be signed by the person nominated as a Christian Witness and returned to the parish office at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the baptism.

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