THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM

 

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO schedule A BAPTISM

Thank you for choosing to have your child baptized in the Catholic Church. Baptism is a beautiful beginning to a lifelong journey of faith, and we are honored to walk with your family as you prepare for this sacred moment.

The Sacrament of Baptism is celebrated monthly in each parish:

  • Second Sunday of the month at St. Michael Parish

  • Fourth Sunday of the month at St. Joseph Parish

Step One: Register Your Family in the Parish

Before scheduling a baptism, your family must be registered in the parish. Even if you are already registered, the child being baptized must also be added to your household record.

We use Flocknote, our secure online parish database, to collect and maintain parish records.

How to Register

  1. Click the registration link and choose either St. Michael or St. Joseph Parish.

  2. Enter your email address or cell phone number.

  3. A 4-digit verification code will be sent to you. Enter that code to continue.

    • If you already have a Flocknote account, be sure to use the same email or phone number you used before so your information will be pulled up automatically.

Entering Your Family Information

You will first be asked to enter information about yourself. Please complete all questions.

When asked “Are you married?”, please answer “Yes” if you are living together in a committed relationship, even if you are not formally married. You will then be prompted to enter information about your spouse or partner. There are only a few questions—please answer all of them.

Next, you will be asked if you have children. Select “Yes” and enter your children’s information, including the child who will be baptized. This information is essential not only for Baptism, but also for future sacraments such as First Communion and Confirmation.

STEP TWO: Make an appointment with Fr. Fred. The next step is to schedule an appointment with Fr. Babiczuk. BOTH PARENTS need to attend this meeting unless only one parent will not be involved in the raising of the child. He has office hours on Saturday morning. You can schedule an appointment with him on-line by CLICKING HERE. No need to call the office If you are not available during on a Saturday morning, you will need to call Shanna Lubold in the office to set an appointment.

STEP THREE: Baptismal Preparation. Both parents and sponsors need to attend attend Baptismal Preparation unless the sponsors lives far away. These Sessions are held at St. Michael’s Church on the fourth Thursday of the month at 6:30pm unless it is a holiday. You can contact Shanna in the office to register for the class or you can register on-line by clicking here. Do not schedule this class till after sponsors have received their sponsor forms from their Parishes. The dates for these session for the rest of 2025 f are November 20 (4th Thursday is Thanksgiving) , December 18 (4th Thursday is Christmas)

STEP FOUR: Set the date for Baptism. You can set a date for the baptism after you have attended the Preparation class. If fact, you can set the date for baptism at the end of the class, or by calling the office.

Once this step is complete, your family will be fully registered and ready to move forward with the Baptism process. We look forward to celebrating this beautiful sacrament with you and welcoming your child into the life of the Church.

BEGIN THE PARISH REGISTRATION PROCESS BY CLICKING HERE.

GODPARENTS/SPONSORS

Every child being baptized must have at least one qualified godparent (also called a sponsor). Most families choose two sponsors—one male and one female. If two are selected, they must be one man and one woman.

To serve as a godparent, a person must:

  • Be at least 16 years of age

  • Be a baptized and confirmed Catholic

  • If married, be married according to the laws of the Catholic Church

  • Be an active, practicing Catholic

  • Obtain a Sponsor Certificate from the parish where they are currently registered

This certificate confirms that the person is eligible to serve as a godparent and is living in good standing with the Church.

Catholic Sponsor & Christian Witness

It is also possible to choose:

  • One Catholic Sponsor, and

  • One Christian Witness

A Christian Witness is a baptized Christian from another Christian denomination (for example, Protestant or Orthodox). A Christian Witness may stand with the Catholic Sponsor during the baptism but does not serve as a godparent in the full sacramental sense.

Why Does the Church Have These Requirements?

Being a godparent is not simply an honorary title — it is a sacred responsibility.

Godparents stand before God and the Church and promise to help raise a child in the Catholic faith. They commit to praying for the child, guiding them, and being a living example of what it means to follow Christ as a member of the Church.

For this reason, the Church asks that godparents be practicing Catholics who are actively living the faith they are being asked to pass on. One cannot serve as a spiritual mentor unless one is personally rooted in the life of the Church.

These guidelines are not meant to exclude or judge anyone. Rather, they protect the sacred meaning of this role and ensure that every child who is baptized is supported by faithful witnesses who can truly walk with them on their journey of faith.

Baptism Offering

There is no fee to have your child baptized. The Sacraments of the Church are gifts of God and are never bought or sold.

If you would like to make a voluntary donation in thanksgiving, you may place it in an envelope with your child’s name on it and give it to the priest or deacon on the day of the Baptism. Your generosity helps support the life and mission of our parish community.

We are grateful for your generosity, but above all, we are grateful to welcome your child into the family of the Church.

The Rite of Baptism

The Baptism ceremony is a joyful celebration in which a child is welcomed into the Catholic Church and begins their life of faith. The rite opens with a welcoming at the church doors, where the parents publicly name their child. The priest or deacon, together with the parents and godparents, then traces the Sign of the Cross on the child’s forehead, marking the child as belonging to Christ.

This is followed by a reading from Sacred Scripture and the Prayers of the Faithful. The parents and godparents then renounce sin and profess their faith on behalf of the child. The baptismal water is blessed, and the child is baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

After the baptism, the child is anointed with sacred Chrism, clothed in a white garment, and given a baptismal candle lit from the Easter (Paschal) Candle — all rich signs of the new life the child has received in Christ.

The Meaning of the Baptismal Signs

The Sign of the Cross
The Sign of the Cross is the most important sign of our Christian faith, recalling the saving death of Jesus on the Cross. When parents and godparents trace it on the child’s forehead, they proclaim that this child now belongs to Christ and is entrusted to His loving care.

Water
Water is both a sign of cleansing and of life. In Baptism, the child is freed from original sin and reborn as a child of God. Just as water gives life to the body, Baptism gives new life in Christ to the soul.

The Oils
The Oil of Catechumens is placed on the child’s chest as a sign of strength, preparing the child to live the Christian life. Sacred Chrism, a mixture of olive oil and balsam, is anointed on the child’s head as a sign of being sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This same holy oil will again be used when the child is confirmed, strengthening the faith first received at Baptism.

The White Garment
The white garment symbolizes the new life of grace and purity given in Baptism. It reminds us that the child has “put on Christ” and is called to live as a follower of Him.

The Baptismal Candle
The candle is lit from the Paschal Candle, which represents the risen Christ. It symbolizes that the light of Christ has entered the child’s life and that the flame of faith has been entrusted to the parents and godparents to keep burning brightly.

The Baptismal Record
Your child’s Baptism is officially recorded in the parish Baptismal Register. In the future, certificates can be issued as proof of Baptism for the sacraments of Confirmation, Marriage, or Holy Orders, which will also be noted alongside this original record.