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Baptism

One of the first questions that the priest asks the parents at a Baptism Service is “what are you asking for or looking for”? This is a pretty fundamental question and one that we should reflect on when we are thinking about Baptism.

Bringing a child into the world is a unique experience and one that invites us to a major rethink of our world view. What are we looking for?

The Church first asks what name you have given your child, because in naming your child you are acknowledging that immense fundamental responsibility of loving and looking after the child and sharing yourselves with them. What is in the name you have chosen for your child and why have you chosen it?

Becoming a Christian involves both personal belief or faith and belonging to a community.  Baptism marks the beginning of that personal journey of faith and as parents, you are invited to accompany your children on their journey of faith and that involves us in looking deeply at our own journey of faith. Belonging to a community involves giving time and energy to the community and receiving from the community the support of our prayers and the opportunity for a Catholic Education.

What I am proposing is that you take the time to reflect on these and some other questions and complete the course before you book your Baptism Service. You can find the course online here (link to external website):

Baptism Course for Parents

This is an online course from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the USA. It should be completed by each of the Catholic Parents and Godparents. You can follow the course at your own pace and there are quizzes to test your knowledge. When the course is completed, you will be issued with a certificate which should be presented to the Secretary along with a completed Baptism Enquiry Form, so we can fix up a date for the baptism.

Our Baptism Enquiry Form and further information can be downloaded here:-

Baptism Enquiry Form

The Code of Conduct for children and young people involved in Church activities can be found here:-

Code of Conduct

Godparents are asked to support the child and parents in their journey of faith, one at least must be a regular practicing Catholic who can offer support and guidance.

Fr John Dickson