Baptismal Information for Parents

There is something beautiful about a beginning. Even before a baby is born, everyone is at work preparing. There must be a crib and clothing. There is a name to be chosen and serious consideration of new routines. You want to be sure that everything is ready for the baby.

You also realize the responsibility you have of raising your child. This baby will be totally dependent upon you for food, for care, for education, for life! Basically, your child will learn and grow by your example. The responsibility is great, but you accept it in love.

You will be the source of the child's notions of right and wrong, of how it feels to be loved and to love. Sometimes when people see a tiny baby they will say, "Oh how innocent and peaceful!" And it's true; they are innocent and peaceful, still untouched by a world not always so innocent and peaceful. You realize that children will be affected for better or worse by the world into which they are born. And you wish you could somehow spare your child from the tension, greed, and hatred that are part of the world.

At Baptism, with the support of Godparents and of the whole Church, your child will enter into a group of people living to overcome the greed and hatred that are part of our world. Your child becomes united with God and therefore becomes a member of His Family, the Church. Once this happens, once your baby has been baptized, is when the real work begins!

The decision to have your baby Baptized must come only after a great deal of thought. Why? Because Baptism is not just something "to get done to my baby." And because Baptism does not end once the ceremony is over, but really it's just the beginning. Baptism is not something that just happens to your child, but you are also very much involved.

The bottom line is this: By bringing your child to the Church to be Baptized, means that you are willing to commit yourself to raising the child in the Roman Catholic Faith. This faith needs to be taught, and modeled by you. To present your child for Baptism is to accept this responsibility completely.

It is through you, the parents, that the child will come to know about the love of God. It is through you that the child will become aware of being a living and active member of God's family, the Church. Therefore, parents should Baptize their children not because it "is the thing to do," or because it "is the custom," but because they sincerely want the Faith and Life of a Roman Catholic for their child. Later in life the child's faith will be based on what he/she has learned and experienced in the home from the very first days of life.

The responsibility of the parents is such a serious one, and often difficult, it is very understandable that they need the support and assistance from the Church. It is the Godparents who will be most obvious in assisting the parents in their great responsibility. It is for this reason that the Church is very concerned about the selection of Godparents/Sponsors for the child.

Once you have baptized your baby, remember that the Church is always present to assist you in your great responsibility. But know that realistically the Church can only hope to assist you, and that it can in no way ever replace you or the great role you undertake.

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