The primary Sacrament of the seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church.
The outward sign is the washing with water in the name of the Most Blessed Trinity, three Person in One Godhead. The inward grace is New Life in Christ and the promise of union with God in the family life of the Trinity - for those who die with Christ in baptism shall rise with Him to a new and glorious life!
A Gift from God for our Salvation; Baptism is one of the "three" Sacraments of Christian Initiation - Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist.
Baptism is never arranged over the telephone or via email.
Baptism can not be arranged by Grandparents, aunts or uncles etc, but only by the parent(s). At least one parent must be a Roman Catholic.
The celebration of the Sacrament presumes that you (or the Catholic parent) are attending Mass. Baptism is not magic, it is an encounter with the Lord and His Holy People which brings us into Communion, a shared life, in the Body of the Christ, the Church.
Parents make solemn promises, three times to before God and witnesses, to bring their child up in the practice of the faith. So parents should be celebrating Mass each week. If the parents are not willing to genuinely and honestly make the promises then Baptism is delayed.
Children to be baptised have two (AND ONLY TWO) God-parents.
One must be a Roman Catholic and the other may be a baptised Christian of any Church who hold the Creed. They will need to supply a certificate of their Baptism before taking on this important and beautiful role. As the name suggests, non-baptised persons may not be God-parents.
If you do not live in the Parish, permission is required from the Parish Priest of the parish in which you reside.
To arrange Baptism please speak to the Parish Priest after either the Saturday evening Vigil Mass or the Sunday 10am Mass.