Baptism

The Sacrament of Baptism

Baptisms at St. Pat’s take place after Mass on Sundays; either directly following the 10:30am Mass at the Downtown Church or directly following the 11:00am Mass at the Crane Rd. Church. When you contact us to begin the process of registering for Baptism, we’ll work with you to ensure everything is set in terms of the logistics and preparation, and then schedule a date for Baptism with you.

On the day of Baptism, you as a family and the godparent(s) you have chosen (see below for more information about godparents) will be seated in the front of the Church. Any and all family and friends who wish to pray and celebrate with you are welcome to join you for this beautiful Sacrament!

To get started, fill out the form below and let us know about yourself. Our team will then gladly work with you to ensure we have everything we need from you in terms of information, paperwork, etc. to schedule your Baptism. Specifically, we’ll make sure you are registered in the Parish and have your Godparent form so that you are all set to register for Baptism.

You can also read the Godparents 101 section below for information about the requirements you’ll need to confirm for your selected godparent(s).

Baptism Preparation

If this is your first child being baptized at St. Pat’s, we ask that you attend a preparation session. Baptism preparation sessions are offered one Monday evening and one Saturday morning each month.

Click here to view the calendar of upcoming sessions! If you cannot make one of the meeting times, please contact the Parish office.

You can register for your baptism preparation session via the form below or by calling the office.

To start the process of having your child baptized... Click Here

If you are an adult and have never been baptized, we invite you to become and be a part of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), which is a time for adults to be prepared to receive the sacraments of the Church.

The role of a godparent is vital in the life of a Catholic. A godparent is chosen to stand, beside the parents, as a witness to the faith into which the child is being baptized, and to take on a real and profound spiritual role in your family’s life. Because of this, the person who is being asked to fulfill this role needs to meet certain requirements to ensure they can take on this spiritual role.

The requirements for any Godparent are as follows:

• All baptized people must have at least one godparent and may have both a male and a female godparent
• The minimum age is 16
• A godparent must be a Catholic who has been Confirmed in the Catholic faith, received First Holy Communion, and lives a life of faith in accord with the role they are undertaking, including either being single or being in a recognized Catholic marriage (married in the Catholic Church or celebrated Convalidation of Marriage)
• A godparent must not be the mother or father of the one being baptized

If the family desires, there may be one godparent and one Christian witness who will stand with the parents as a witness to the Sacrament taking place. If you will have a Christian witness, this person must be a non-Catholic Christian.

• First, fill out the form here or contact our office to begin the process
• Our team will work with you to confirm two main things:
  • That you are a registered parishioner (or become one!) or are coming to St. Pat's to have a Baptism with family members who are parishioners here at the Parish.
  • That you have a godparent able to serve in that vital role. This will involve your godparents filling out an eligibility form that we will send.
• Once those are confirmed, we will work with you to schedule Baptism Prep (if needed) and your Baptism

Our one-hour Baptism Prep sessions have a few main goals:

• The obvious one: prepare you as parents for Baptism!
• We want to be sure parents are well-formed and ready for this important day in the life of their family.
• Share ideas for continuing to open the gift of your child's Baptism throughout their life
• Answer your logistical and other questions
• Connect you with other families in the Parish
• Take some time to pray together

We ask that each parent attends Baptism Prep at least once. If you have attended in the past, you don't need to attend again, but you are welcome if you’d like to join us!

Yes, there most likely will!

In general, there is a small group of families available at any one time for Baptism (generally no less than 2 and no more than 6-8). If it is helpful for you to know the exact number in order to prepare, you can call the Parish Office a few weeks before your Baptism to get the full number of those in attendance.

Baptisms take place directly after Mass, allowing you to attend Sunday Mass and then stay for Baptism. If you cannot do that for any reason, and will be attending Mass at a different time, please arrive no later than when the Mass would end (11:30am for Downtown, 12:00pm for Crane Rd.). This will give you time to get into the parking lot, into your seats, and be ready for Baptism to begin, which is usually about 15 minutes after Mass ends (11:45am for Downtown, 12:15pm for Crane Rd.).

In general, you should dress your child in white clothing for their Baptism (a white Baptismal gown is traditional). For older children, this can often be a white dress or white dress shirt. White clothing is an outward sign of the work the Lord has done in Baptism, cleansing us from the stain of original sin and bringing us to new life in the person of Jesus Christ!

Adults in attendance should simply be dressed in suitable, appropriate clothing for Church.

No you do not! You will be given a Baptismal Candle and Baptismal Certificate, but you do not need to bring anything with you.

It is not required, but a baptismal offering for the church is customary. A typical one is between $25 and $50.

The ceremony for the Sacrament of Baptism usually lasts around 45 minutes.

Yes! You are encouraged to take pictures to commemorate this important day for your child and your family.

All that is asked is that, when you take these pictures, you stay out of the Sanctuary to respect the sacred space, but you can take pictures throughout the Church and in front of the steps into the Sanctuary at either Church.