Infant Baptism for Parents in English (en español contactar a Vickie 281-446-2933)

Parents:
Parents requesting baptism for their child under seven years of age should call the parish office two (2) months prior to the desired month of baptism.  PLEASE NOTE: There are no baptisms during Lent or Advent.

(For children seven to seventeen years of age, contact Ginger at gingerh@st-mm.com.)

To register to attend the required half-day retreat for parents, download the Baptism Welcome Packet here or stop by the parish office to pick up one.  It contains everything you need to know to register. Parents may sign up for available baptism dates at the retreat itself if all necessary paperwork has been received. Parents who are expecting a child are encouraged to participate before the baby is born so as to avoid delaying baptism. Godparents are strongly encouraged, but not required, to attend.  

ENGLISH BAPTISM CEREMONIES upcoming (Sundays at 2:30 unless otherwise noted):  May 17, 2020, and June 28, 2020

Welcome Packet

Retreat schedule & information (2020 TBA)

Email for info

Godparents:   
Our parish follows the Infant Baptism Guidelines of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston: our archbishop requires that godparents be fully-initiated Catholics (have received the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation) actively practicing their Catholic faith and, if married, be married in the Catholic Church.

If you are being asked by another parish to provide certification of parish registration in good standing, contact the Faith Formation secretary here.  Provide your name, the name of the child to be baptized, the name(s) of the child's parent(s), the church in which the child will be baptized, and when (at least approximately), the baptism will take place.

If you are required to attend a baptism retreat, contact Ginger.  The retreat schedule can be found above.

Meanwhile, read and reflect on the materials below as you prepare to take on this awesome responsibility.

  The Role of Godparents    Guidelines for Choosing Godparents   Married in the Church?

FOR MORE INFORMATION, OR IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT:

Ginger Herrington,
Director of Adult Formation

If you are an adult who has not been baptized and would like to be initiated into the Catholic Church then the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) is for you!  Find out more here.

For unbaptized children over the age of seven in elementary and high school, participation in our CCE (Continuing Catholic Education) is required to attend RCIA.  Find out more here.

Vickie Cortez 281-446-2933

THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM

1213 Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua),⁴ and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word."⁵

I. WHAT IS THIS SACRAMENT CALLED?

1214 This sacrament is called Baptism, after the central rite by which it is carried out: to baptize (Greek baptizein) means to "plunge" or "immerse"; the "plunge" into the water symbolizes the catechumen's burial into Christ's death, from which he rises up by resurrection with him, as "a new creature."⁶

1215 This sacrament is also called "the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit," for it signifies and actually brings about the birth of water and the Spirit without which no one "can enter the kingdom of God."⁷

1216 "This bath is called enlightenment, because those who receive this [catechetical] instruction are enlightened in their understanding . . . ."⁸ Having received in Baptism the Word, "the true light that enlightens every man," the person baptized has been "enlightened," he becomes a "son of light," indeed, he becomes "light" himself:⁹

Baptism is God's most beautiful and magnificent gift. . . .We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal, and most precious gift. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own; grace since it is given even to the guilty; Baptism because sin is buried in the water; anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed; enlightenment because it radiates light; clothing since it veils our shame; bath because it washes; and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God's Lordship.¹⁰

More from the Catechism