Baptism

Infants

Infant Baptism (0 – 6 Years Old)

We are excited to be a part of your child’s relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church through the Sacrament of Baptism! It is always a joyful experience for us to welcome a new Christian into the Church and into our parish community.  Through baptism, your child will be adopted into God’s family, receive the grace of salvation won for us by Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, and have life in the Holy Spirit.  As the doorway into God’s Church, Baptism enables your child to grow in holiness by receiving the other Sacraments as they mature.

USING OUTSIDE CLERGY FOR YOUR CHILD’S BAPTISM?

At Saint Anthony of Padua, we love to see our families baptize their babies and be incorporated into Christ and His Church, so the use of outside clergy is very limited.

Please review the following parish policies for outside clergy.

Step One: Initial Contact with Baptism Ministry

The Parents of the child (not clergy, not godparents) should make an initial contact with our Baptism Ministry about having outside clergy involved.

• Contact Gabriela Aviles (English and Spanish) at gaviles@ap.church
• Parents may request to have an outside clergy do a separate ceremony
• Parents must be parishioners at St. Anthony and explain why they are choosing outside clergy
• If not parishioners, they must explain why they are choosing St. Anthony’s for their child’s baptism

Step Two: Clergy Request to Pastor

The outside clergy (not parents or godparents) must contact our parish pastor to request permission to celebrate Baptism.

• Only the pastor, Fr. Jesse Garcia, may approve outside clergy (frjesse@ap.church and his assistant, Sue Dewlen at sdewlen@ap.church)
• The priest/deacon must make this request himself to the pastor
• You must do this at least 6 weeks prior to the tentative baptism date
• Fr. Jesse or Sue Dewlen will then inform the Baptism Ministry of approval.

Step Three: Tentative Date Given

If clergy approval is given, and if the parents have contacted the Baptismal Ministry, then a tentative date can be arranged.

• The outside clergy must provide a Letter of Suitability to the archdiocese to celebrate the sacrament in the accorded date
• Letter of Suitability must be approved by Auxiliary Bishop Italo and sent to our parish. This takes a minimum of 3 weeks.
• Turn in all required documents: Baptism Request Form, Verification of Completion of Baptism Preparation Class, Godparent Information Forms, Official Birth Certificate (copy)
• Once all permissions are approved and all documents are turned in, the Baptism date will be confirmed to the family and the visiting clergy

How can we help?

Let us know if you need any assistance with the registration process.  If you prefer, we are happy to set up an appointment to meet in person to guide you through the steps or answer any questions you may have about infant baptism.

God bless you and your family!