The Church of St. Raphael welcomes your interest in Catholic Baptism. The following is designed to supply practical information regarding how our parish prepares for and celebrates this sacrament.

As the Rite of Baptism in the Church reminds us, in requesting to have your child baptized, "... you are accepting the responsibility of training him/her in the practice of the Faith. It will be your duty to bring him/her up to keep God's Commandments as Christ taught us..."

The Church seeks to aid you in your responsibility and duty initially by providing a Baptismal Class (canon 851). While brief and certainly not the lengthy commitment of other sacramental preparation programs (ie. Eucharist, Confirmation, Holy Orders, Marriage), this one hour class provides information regarding the theology of the sacrament, an understanding of the symbols celebrated and the Rite of Baptism. More information regarding the class is listed below. This class is mandatory for all parents seeking to baptize their first child in the parish, but is open to all parents and sponsors as well. Sponsor selection should be chosen after taking this class.

The Church also seeks to aid the recipient of the sacrament, your child, in their new rights as a Baptized member of the Church which are, "to receive the sacraments, to be nourished with the Word of God, and to be sustained by the other spiritual helps of the Church." (1269 Catechism) Their rights are not to be violated, even by the parents, and so the following questions may serve as a help in discerning your level of commitment for your child's fulfillment of the flowering of the Baptismal promises:

1. Do we look upon Baptism, and indeed the Christian Faith, as necessary for salvation as Christ clearly taught (John 3:5), or do we see them merely as occasions for human celebration?
2. Do we practice our Catholic Faith as to reasonably try and keep God's Ten Commandments as Christ taught us? (John 14:15)
3. What level of expression is our commitment to our faith community in the areas of treasure (supporting the Church financially), time (regular Sunday worship) and talent (volunteer opportunities)?

The Church's ministers look to the parents for a "well founded hope" that the infant will be taught in the Catholic religion. The above questions can serve as an honest dialog in your commitment to your child's faith walk and this community of faith. Therefore, the policy at St. Raphael's requires parents to be registered members. The parish also asks that parents be practicing parishioners or show their willingness to practice their faith in a manner deemed acceptable by parent and pastor.*

The companion check list summarizes the practical steps needed to have your child baptized and the staff to contact.

We look forward to working with you and your child/children in providing both the administration of the sacrament of baptism and an atmosphere in which to live out the baptismal promises.

Sincerely in Christ,

St. Raphael Parish

*Immediate registration before a baptismal request puts a burden on the Church's ministers to evaluate the parents level of commitment. Therefore, a way to practically assess this would be to ask the parents to indicate their attendance at Mass for three months or to obtain from a previous pastor a note stating the parents prior involvement.