What the Church asks of you in your lifetime faith journey…

You are bringing your child for Baptism in a Faith Tradition that understands that child will be baptized into the faith of the Church, a faith that you are proclaiming for them (along with the godparents) as representatives of both the local church and the whole society of saints and believers (Rite of Baptism for Children #2).

Your child has a right to the love and help of the community…the community exercises its duty when it expresses its assent together with the celebrant after the profession of faith by the parents and godparents. In this way it is clear that the faith in which the children are baptized is not private possession of the individual family, but the common treasure of the whole Church of Christ (RBC #4).

Because of the natural relationships, parents have the ministry and responsibility in the baptism of infants more important than those of godparents (RBC #5).

After Baptism it is the responsibility of the parents, in their gratitude to God and in faithfulness to the duty they have undertaken, to assist the child to know God (RBC #5.5).

Essentially, our understanding of the implications of this sacrament is that you are entering into a life long faith journey with your child. This is a journey that you undertake knowingly, and while it may sound daunting, you have the support of the entire faith community!!!

The process to be baptized at OLOL:

  • Be or become a parish member.
  • Call office and register the baby for baptism.
  • Set up an appointment and meet for an interview with a parish staff member.
  • Attend a one evening baptismal program.
  • Attend a practice the Saturday morning of the baptismal weekend.
  • Be baptized at a scheduled Sunday weekend mass (these occur 4-5 times per year).

Baptism Information for Parents/Sponsors

Please inform the Formation Ministries Associate of all pertinent information concerning the child’s baptism for the Baptism Register:

  • Name of child, date of birth, city of birth
  • Father’s full name
  • Mother’s full name with maiden name
  • Sponsors’ full names
  • Choice of time and date for the ceremony

This information is also needed to prepare the certificate presented to each child.  The lead-time to prepare the certificate is two (2) weeks prior to the Baptism.

Click here to fill out this information online.

Baptism Rehearsal

The baptism rehearsal is scheduled the Saturday of the Baptism weekend at 10:30 am unless you are notified otherwise. The child does not need to be present, but the parents and sponsors do. If someone is unable to attend, please provide a substitute to inform the absent one of the proceedings.

Baptism Day

One row of eleven (10-11) chairs is reserved for each family. The row will be marked with the family name. Decide who will sit with you parents and your sponsors. The remainder of your party may find seating with the community.

This is a very special event. Please wear appropriate attire. The child needs ordinary clothing that is easily removed for the baptism and a white garment to wear after the baptism has occurred. We provide the towel for you to wrap the child in after the baptism. We also provide the candle and baptismal certificate. They are yours to keep.

Please be in Room 10 ten minutes before the liturgy begins. Take your place in line as instructed during the rehearsal.

Godparent Information

When you invite a person to serve as your child’s godparent, you are asking this individual to make a   lifelong commitment to your child. The day of your child’s baptism marks just the beginning of the godparent—godchild relationship. It is the hope of the Church and the Catholic community that your child’s godparent will be lifelong companion who will nurture your child’s faith and help him or her become a true disciple of Christ.

The Catholic community calls godparents to:

  • Help their godchild grow in faith
  • Teach their godchild about Catholic Traditions
  • Model for their godchild how to live a Catholic life

The law of the Roman Catholic Church requires that each child being baptized have one godparent to serve as his or her spiritual role model and friend. This godparent my be male or female. Two godparents–1 godmother and 1 godfather–are the custom in the United States, but are not required.

To be a Catholic godparent, one must:

  • Be a Catholic who has received the Sacrament of Confirmation and regularly participates in the Eucharist
  • Be an active member of a Catholic Faith Community
  • Be at least 16 years old

When choosing a godparent for your child, it may be helpful to consider the following:

  • Is this person actively practicing his or her faith? Does he or she worship at Sunday Eucharist regularly?
  • Does this person live close enough or will this person have sufficiently frequent contact to get to know your child and play an active role in your child’s faith life?
  • Does this person know enough about the Catholic Church and Catholic faith to be able to teach your child about it?
  • If something happened to you, would this person make sure your child was raised as an active member of the Catholic community?