Baptism of Infants in Canon Law
Canon 867
§ 1: Parents are obliged to see to it that infants are baptized within the first weeks after birth; as soon as possible after the birth, or even before it, parents are to go to the pastor to request the sacrament for their child and to be prepared for it properly.
§ 2: An infant in danger of death is to be baptized without any delay. Canon 868
§ 1: For the licit baptism of an infant it is necessary that:
- the parents or at least one of them or the person who lawfully takes their place gives consent;
- there be a founded hope that the infant will be brought up in the Catholic religion; if such a hope is altogether lacking, the baptism is to be put off according to the prescriptions of particular law and the parents are to be informed of the reason.
§ 2: The infant of Catholic parents, in fact of non-Catholic parents also, who is in danger of death is licitly baptized even against the will of the parents.Canon 872: Insofar as possible, one to be baptized is to be given a sponsor who is to assist an adult in Christian initiation, or, together with the parents, to present an infant at the baptism, and who will help the baptized to lead a Christian life in harmony with baptism, and to fulfill faithfully the obligations connected with it.Canon 873: Only one male or one female sponsor or one of each sex is to be employed.Canon 874
§ 1: To be admitted to the role of sponsor, a person must:
- be designated by the one to be baptized, by the parents or the one who takes their place or, in their absence, by the pastor or minister and is to have the qualifications and intention of performing this role;
- have completed the sixteenth year…
- be a Catholic who has been confirmed and has already received the sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist and leads a life in harmony with the faith and the role to be undertaken;
- not to be bound by any canonical penalty legitimately imposed or declared;
- not be the father or the mother of the one to be baptized.
§ 2: A baptized person who belongs to a non-Catholic ecclesial community may not be admitted except as a witness to baptism and together with a Catholic sponsor.
Baptism of child
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.
Baptism of adults
When someone wants to become a Catholic, the normal procedure is to make an appointment to go and see your local Catholic priest. You can try and get him after Sunday Mass, but he might be busy then, so it is probably better to telephone. When you see him, he will make you welcome and invite you to talk about your desire to become a Catholic.
What happens next depends partly on local circumstances, partly on how much faith background you have and of what type. Many parishes have a small group of Catholics and “enquirers” meeting together once a week for several months or longer to explore what being a Catholic means. At the end of this process, known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults those who wish and are ready become Catholics, usually at Easter.
Other parishes do not have the and arrange for one-to-one conversations with a priest or catechist. The needs of the enquirer are naturally
paramount.
You are welcome to begin attending Mass at your local Catholic Church whenever you wish, though you would not be able to receive communion yet.
You are free to approach any priest anywhere, but it makes sense to go to your local Church, which will be most convenient for you if you do decide to become a Catholic.
Adult baptisms usually take place at Easter, although they can take place at other times of the year too.
Adults preparing for baptism have their own process of learning and growing in faith.
This is the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. It is a flexible process which typically takes 6-12 months.