Baptism

Baptisms are held during Mass on Saturday at 5pm or on Sunday at 11:30am or 6pm. Please contact the parish at least one month prior to the date. Baptismal Preparation classes are held for the Parents and Godparents prior to the Baptism.

Os Batismos são realizados durante a Missa no Sábado às 17h ou no Domingo às 11h30 ou às 18h. Entre em contato com a paróquia pelo menos um mês antes da data. As aulas de preparação para o Batismo são realizadas para os pais e padrinhos antes do Batismo.

Baptism is the first sacrament of Christian initiation. It is the sacrament that frees a person from original sin and makes that person a member of Christ and His Church, thus being the way to a new and spiritual life. It is administered by immersing the recipient in water or by pouring water on the person’s head “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. One must be baptized before sharing in any of the other sacraments. Baptism is the foundation for all ministry and life in the church, and confers a commitment to follow Christ and spread his message throughout the world. Furthermore, in baptism, one is incorporated into the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and thus participates in the gift of resurrection and eternal life with Christ.

Infants can be baptized soon after birth. At the time of baptism, parents vow to practice their faith and provide a Catholic upbringing for the child. Adults who have never been baptized take part in the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), and will typically be baptized at the Easter Vigil. The Catholic Church recognizes baptisms from other Christian denominations that baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Thus, a person can only be baptized once.

Introduction: 

In His dialogue with Nicodemus, Jesus taught that Baptism was necessary for salvation. "No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit" (Jn 3:5). After His Resurrection, Jesus met with the eleven Apostles and gave them the commission to preach the Gospel and baptize, telling them, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mk 16:16) By commanding His disciples to baptize all nations, Jesus established the means by which people would die to sin—original and actual—and begin to live a new life with God.

Baptism is the Sacrament of spiritual regeneration by which a person is incorporated in Christ and made a member of His Mystical Body, given grace, and cleansed of original sin. Actual sins and the punishment owed for them are remitted also if the person baptized was guilty of such sins (e.g., in the case of a person baptized after reaching the age of reason). The theological virtues of faith, hope and charity are given with grace. The Sacrament confers a character on the soul and can be received only once.

Baptism has six primary effects, which are all supernatural graces:

1. The removal of the guilt of both Original Sin (the sin imparted to all mankind by the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden) and personal sin (the sins that we have committed ourselves).
2. The remission of all punishment that we owe because of sin, both temporal (in this world and in Purgatory) and eternal (the punishment that we would suffer in hell).
3. The infusion of grace in the form of sanctifying grace (the life of God within us); the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit [wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord (wonder and awe)]; and the three theological virtues (faith, hope and charity).
4. Becoming a part of Christ.
5. Becoming a part of the Church which is the Mystical Body of Christ on earth.
6. Enabling participation in the Sacraments, the priesthood of all believers, and the growth in grace.

At Baptism every child should be given a name with Christian significance, usually the name of a saint, to symbolize newness of life in Christ.

The ceremony of Baptism assumes a well-founded hope that you will bring your child up in the practice of the faith. This means:

• you teach your child to pray;
• you teach your child to lead a good Christian life;
• you come to Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligations; and
• you teach your child the Catholic faith.
  

The Godparents’ current lifestyles should be in accord with the Catholic faith.  Catholics 16 years of age and over who have received the Sacraments of Confirmation and the Eucharist, and are practicing their faith are eligible to be sponsors or godparents. This means regular attendance at Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation is expected and regular participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation is encouraged. If married, the Godparent needs to be in a marriage considered valid in the Catholic Church.

The role of godparents in baptismal ceremonies is secondary to the role of the parents. They serve as representatives of the community of faith and with the parents request Baptism for the child and perform other ritual functions. Their function after Baptism is to serve as proxies for the parents if the parents should be unable or fail to provide for the religious training of the child.

1. The right to know and love God.
2. The right to participate in a living community of faith.
3. The right to those needed resources for spiritual growth.
4. The right to religious and moral education from informed parents.
5. The right to hear the word of God and have it interpreted.
6. The right to times of silence and solitude to develop a contemplative spirit.
7. The right to active participation in community worship.
8. The right to live in a house with faith in God as the heart of daily life.
9. The right to pray freely.
10. The right to be of service to others.