Bringing Your Child to the Sacraments

Parents requesting the Sacrament of Baptism or any other sacrament for their child are saying, "I love my faith and it is important to me to share that faith in God with my child."

For this reason, it is necessary that at least one parent (and also, for Baptism, one godparent) be practicing the Catholic faith. Parents must be registered in our parish for at least three months, worship and receive the Sacraments regularly and participate in the faith life of the Church. One way we have to determine whether the parents are active is by the use of weekly offertory envelopes. The amount of money, if any, donated to the church is immaterial; attendance at church is important, and envelopes are one way to establish a pattern of attendance. Volunteering in one of our many parish ministries is another way. If this regular connection with the church isn't there, the Pastor has the obligation to delay the Baptism or other sacraments until the parents display a willingness to practice the faith, enabling them to share their faith with their child. Parents who want to just "go through the motions" of a sacrament that has no real meaning for them need to take some time to grow in their own faith before they can hand it on to anyone else. If you have any questions about this please read Fr. John's homily for January 9, 2000.

For Baptism, an additional requirement for both parents is attendance at one two-hour Baptism class which is held monthly. Advance registration is required to attend the class. Also, a child must be given a Christian name (or derivative) when they are baptized, either as a first or middle name. This connects each child with all the great family of saints who have gone before us. Normally a child has two godparents. One of the godparents must be an active and practicing Catholic and be able to obtain a sponsor certificate from the parish where they are registered.

When Fr. John is asked to sign a certificate for a person to be a sponsor for Baptism or Confirmation, he needs to be able to say, "I know this person to be a member of this parish, a practicing Catholic and qualified to act as a sponsor" for Baptism or Confirmation. Clearly, he can't be asked to say something that isn't true.

The parental requirements for other sacraments are explained at the time of registration.