Christ the King & Pope John XXIII Baptism Request

Dear Parents:

We are excited that you have prayerfully requested the Sacrament of Baptism for your child to be celebrated at the linked communities of Pope John XXIII/Christ the King. We offer our congratulations to you on the birth of your child, and we look forward to his/her baptism.   

We ask that you follow closely the stages of preparation offered below: 

1. Contact your parish office and express your desire to have your child baptized.

2. Open yourself to the invitation to actively join the faith community of a Catholic parish.

3. If you are not registered parishioners, please consider becoming involved in the prayer and celebration of the community. 

Introduce yourself to the parish priest if you do not already know him personally.

Are you living in a parish other than the one in which you wish to have your child baptized? You are required to take your Baptismal Preparation in the parish in which you reside and then obtain a letter from your Parish to have your child baptized in another parish. We hope this will help you to connect with the Sacramental life of one’s own parish and create a spiritual life founded on the hope that the faith-life of the family and of the one(s) to be baptized will be lived in a community.

The following are items that you need to know prior to the baptism...

If this is your first child, you will need to sign up for a Sacrament of Baptism Preparation class. If you are unable to attend an in-person class due to work or location, we can offer an online class and a phone/Zoom discussion with one of the baptism prep team members.

GODPARENTS:
A child must have one practicing Roman Catholic godparent in good standing with the Church.  This Catholic godparent must: a. Be at least 16 years old and be mature enough to understand, accept and carry out the duties of a godparent. b. Must have received the Sacraments of Initiation:  Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation. If married, must be in good standing in their parish.

Each child must have at least one Godparent. If two godparents, then they must be one male and one female.

A non-Catholic, baptized Christian may be chosen as a Christian witness (but not as a godparent), as long as the godparent is Catholic.

A baptized person who belongs to another Christian community may be a “Christian witness” (not a godparent) provided that there is at least one Roman Catholic godparent who fulfills the above criteria. The witness has to be of the opposite gender from the godparent. A non-baptized person cannot be a witness (Code of Canon Law, cc. 872-874; Catechism of the Catholic Church 1255).

Godparents may be represented by proxies if they are unable to be present for the ceremony.  Those serving as proxies must fulfill the same requirements as godparents.

MARITAL STATUS:
Your marital status will be clarified during the baptismal preparation process. Baptism is not denied if the parents are unmarried or not married in the Roman Catholic Church. If your status is not in harmony with the Roman Catholic understanding of sacramental marriage, please inquire as to how we may help you to be in good sacramental standing and to become the best possible parents. 

SCHEDULING A BAPTISM: 
Baptisms can be scheduled directly after a weekend Mass or during the weekend Masses, pending the approval of the Pastor. A required baptism registration form needs to be returned to the Parish prior to the sacrament in order to properly and accurately complete all records. · 

BAPTISM RECORD AND CERTIFICATE: 
The Baptism will be recorded in the permanent records of the parish in which the Baptism takes place. Please be sure of the accuracy of information and the spelling of names. A Baptismal certificate will be given to you following the Baptism. For future needs, for example, if your child wishes to be married in the Catholic Church, it can be prepared from the parish records. 

FAMILY DONATION: 
There is no fee, however, many families wish to offer a donation to the church and to the presider on the occasion of their child’s Baptism the suggested donation is the following, {$75 to Church and $25 to presider.} 

CONGRATULATIONS on the birth of your child!  Let us work together to bring her/him to the beautiful light of our Faith!

Sincerely,

Father Zach

Rev.  Zachary Miller

Pope John XXIII and Christ the King Pastor

DOWNLOAD A PDF COPY OF THE LETTER