Sacrament of Baptism
The Sacrament of Baptism
First-time expectant parents and parents of born children who are unbaptized must take the Baptism Preparation class. Please contact Ali Rak for more inforamtion stjoeformation@comcast.net Register at tinyurl.com/stjoebaptism and select the most convenient upcoming class. Prior registration at the parish and regular Sunday Mass attendance are essential prerequisites to the class.
Baptism is the first Sacrament of Initiation and the gateway to all other Sacraments. The Catholic Church insists on children being baptized within a few weeks of birth (Can. 867 §1), however the parents should take care to first be properly prepared by the parish to understand the responsibilities promised at the baptismal ceremony. A pastor may not baptize a child who will not be raised in the Catholic faith or whose parents may lose their faith shortly after the baptism. For those reasons, the Church may delay baptism for a time, until a well-founded hope that the child will be raised Catholic can be established.
