The Sacrament of Baptism is celebrated: - English Baptisms are celebrated the second Saturday of the month.
- Spanish Baptisms are celebrated the fourth Saturday of the month.
- Sorry, we do not celebrate individual Baptisms.
- Preparation is required for parents and godparents.
- Two classes are offered every other month in English and every month in Spanish.
- To register for classes, one of the parents of the baby need to go the Parish Office.
- Parents need to be active and registered in the Parish and at the time of registration they will be asked to show the child's birth certificate.
Parents who live outside the parish boundaries should contact their Parish for the celebration of Baptism.
- Do you know someone who would like to become Catholic or hear more about the Catholic faith?
- Do you know someone who was baptized in another Christian religion who would like to know what Catholics believe?
- Do you know a baptized Catholic who would like to receive the sacraments of Holy Eucharist and Confirmation?
For anyone who answers "YES" to any of the questions listed above, we offer an adult oriented process of preparation for the sacraments and/or entry into the Catholic Church (RCIA). The RCIA is an going process with meetings on a weekly basis. For additional information - call Miss Annette Bohrer at the parish office: 817-326-2131. Parents of a newborn sometimes discover that their child, tragically, may not live long enough to be brought to church for baptism. In the sadness of this moment, the church longs to comfort parents by keeping baptism as close as a cup of water. We offer several options for baptism, depending on the circumstances. If a priest or a deacon is available, he may lead the entire rite of baptism in the hospital or home of the child. If the minister is a priest, he should confirm the child. If some other minister comes, she or he may lead an abbreviated rite of baptism. Ideally, parents, godparents, friends and neighbors should attend. If there is no time for that, anyone may baptize the child. Even you! - Get one or two witnesses if you can.
- Obtain water; it need not be blessed.
- Recite the creed (or omit this if there is no time).
- Then pour water three times while saying, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Every Catholic should memorize that formula.
If the child should recover, we rejoice with the family. We invite the parents to bring the baptized child to church to complete some parts of the rite that were not done in the hospital. The parish should keep a record of the child who received an emergency baptism.
"The sacrament of Baptism is conferred 'in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.' [Mt 28:19 .] In Baptism, the Lord's name sanctifies man, and the Christian receives his name in the Church. This can be the name of a SAINT, that is, of a disciple who has lived a life of exemplary fidelity to the Lord. The PATRON SAINT provides a model of charity; we are assured of his intercession. The 'baptismal name' can also express a Christian mystery or Christian virtue. 'Parents, sponsors, and the pastor are to see that a name is not given which is foreign to Christian sentiment.' [CIC, Can. 855.]"
Everyone baptized into the church receives a godparent. Godparents assist the baptized "to lead a Christian life in harmony with baptism and to fulfill faithfully the obligations connected with it." Only one godparent is needed, although two may serve. The baptismal godparent becomes the preferred sponsor for confirmation. To be a godparent you must be 16, baptized, confirmed in the Catholic Church, taking communion with us, leading a life in harmony with faith, and not a parent of the one to be baptized. A baptized non-Catholic may serve as a witness (which is different from a "Godparent") to the baptism if a Catholic godparent also takes part. Very often people will ask a family member to be a godparent. This has the advantage of binding families together. However, a godparent from the parish community may make a better choice. A parishioner can set a good example for the child from week to week and can represent the role of the entire parish community - bringing Christ to each new member. Some families have further expectations of godparents of young children. They may expect a gift at the child's birthday or further assistance throughout life. Some godparents devote a lot of time to their godchildren; others do not. The church does not specify these extended responsibilities; families may discuss them with their godparents.
Godparents for adults play an important role during Lent. They support the catechumen at the rite of election and the scrutinies in addition to the rites of initiation. They usually are the sponsors who have accompanied the catechumens throughout their preparation. If the adult joining the church has already been baptized, their sponsor remains a "sponsor" since a godparent already exists.
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