Baptism of Children

The Sacrament of Baptism

Like all the sacraments, Baptism is first and foremost, a sign of God's everlasting and unconditional love for each child He has created. He claims the child as His own.
At Baptism, God shares with the child His own divine life by imparting the gift of the Holy Spirit.
At Baptism, the child enjoys a new relationship with God the Father, in light of her/his connection with Christ, the Son.
At Baptism, Christ strengthens the child to live as one of His disciples.
At Baptism, Christ calls on parents and godparents to foster and nurture the life of faith and discipleship in the child.
At Baptism, Christ initiates the child into His Mystical Body, the Church. This initiation is completed by the sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist.
At Baptism, Christ frees the child from the sinfulness of the world by the power of God's Spirit dwelling in her/him.
Parish Guidelines for Baptism

• A Roman Catholic parent (or the guardian who has the legal custody of the child) who is a member of our Parish may seek Baptism for their child in this parish community.

To be a member of Catholic Parish of the Holy Cross in Tampere you must live within the boundaries of the parish and be a registered and practicing member of the parish for a period of at least six months prior to the date of the Baptism.
The Church emphasizes the role of parents as the first and best teachers of their child in the ways of faith and Christian values. During the Baptism, the parents of the child promise to do their best to raise their child in the practice of the faith. Obviously, the parents should manifest their faith by participating in the weekly Sunday Eucharist with the faith community into which their child is to be incorporated. We look for an honest and wholehearted commitment on the part of the parents.
It is never our intention to deny Baptism to anyone. However, there may be circumstances that would lead us to suggest the postponement of the Baptism until the parents are ready to carry out the promises they must make at the Baptism ceremony.

• Baptism initiates the baptized person into the Catholic community. Hence it is most appropriate to celebrate Baptism at a time when the community is together, which is when we come together to celebrate Eucharist.

Thinking About Baptism and Godparents

• Having made the decision to bring your child to the Church for the Sacrament of Baptism, you are now faced with another decision, the choice of your child's godparents.

In recent years, and in many instances, the role of the godparent has been distorted and the choice of people to fill this role has been made for reasons other than those which should dictate the choice. Only too often, we approach someone to be a godparent to satisfy a social relationship, to say "thank you" for past favours, because they expect to be asked, or for material benefits which may be forthcoming for the child. At the risk of hurting someone's feelings we should make our choice of godparent with the following in mind:
Inviting someone to be a godparent implies the following:

• A request by the parents for the assistance of the Christian community in general and the individual godparents in particular in raising their child in the Catholic faith;
  

An admission by the parents of their awareness that they need this assistance;
An affirmation of the faith of the individuals invited to be godparents and a challenge to them to witness their faith;
A statement by the parents that they want their child to be positively influenced by the faith and lives of the people they have invited;

• A reminder to the entire community that it has a shared responsibility to support each of its members.

We suggest the following guidelines in making your choice of people to invite to be godparents:

• The person(s) chosen must be mature enough to carry out the responsibility of godparents.

The person must be one of strong living faith, which they practice regularly by attending Sunday Eucharist. They are not required to be a "paragon of virtue" but rather an ordinary good Catholic person who gives witness to his/her own commitment to Gospel values.
The person must be willing to profess his or her faith with the parents immediately prior to the actual pouring of baptismal water and should have no reservations about doing so.

The person must have received all three sacraments of initiation, namely, Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.

• The person must be willing, in whatever way she/he can, to actively cooperate with the parents in helping to bring the child up as a Christian.

For obvious reasons, only a member of the Catholic Church (or Eastern Orthodox community) may be a godparent. However, a member of a non-Catholic Christian Community may serve as a Christian Witness. The godparent must profess the faith in which the child is to be raised and members of non-Catholic churches, although good Christians, cannot be expected to rear another in the Roman Catholic faith. The child must have at least one Roman Catholic godparent.
In reflection upon the responsibilities of godparent hood, it comes apparent that what is asked of the godparent is really the mission of each of us as Christians to nurture the faith and reach out to others in love throughout our lives.
If you have any questions about this Sacrament or wish to have your child baptized, please contact the Parish Office.