The first of the Sacraments is Baptism. It is the doorway into the life of grace, the life of the Church, the eternal life of Heaven itself.

So what is Baptism? Holy Baptism is the foundation of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as children of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word.” Baptism leaves an indelible (permanent) mark on the soul and there is no way, nor any reason, that one could be re-baptized or un-baptized.

What does the Grace of Baptism accomplish? Baptism does five things specifically. It forgives all sins that may have been committed prior to a person’s baptism and it relieves the punishment for those sins. It makes the newly baptized person “a new creature.” It turns the person into a newly adopted child of God and a member of Christ. Baptism incorporates a person into the Church, which is the body of Christ. It brings someone into the flock of the faithful and brings them to share in the royal priesthood of Christ (1 Pet. 2:9-10). Catholic baptism gives a share in the common priesthood of all believers. Last, but certainly not least, baptism leaves and indelible spiritual mark (character) of belonging to Christ on the soul. Nothing you can do will take away this mark even if you sin a million times. Those sins may prevent you from being open to the salvation God offers through baptism, but you will always carry the mark of a Christian on your soul, therefore making re-baptism impossible.

Am I too old or is my child too young? There are no age restrictions for baptism; you cannot be too old or too young. The Church believes in the universal saving will of God and the necessity of Baptism for salvation (1 Timothy 2:4, John 3:5). Can someone be baptized twice? Baptizing someone twice is not necessary so long as the person was baptized in water using the Trinitarian formula of being baptized with water “in the name of the Father & of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”.

Why are children baptized? Children receive baptism primarily to remove original sin. This is not a personal sin, it is the sharing in the original falling away from God that happened as a result of humanity choosing to reject God in our early history. Infant baptism has been debated for centuries. First, let us appeal to the Bible. John 3:5 says, “Jesus answered, ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.’” Note that Jesus says “no one” can enter heaven in that passage. In the spirit of brevity here is the short answer straight from the Catechism: “The practice of infant Baptism is an immemorial tradition of the Church. There is explicit testimony to this practice from the second century on, and it is quite possible that, from the beginning of the apostolic preaching, when whole “households” received baptism, infants may also have been baptized,” (Acts 16:15,33; 18:8; 1 Corinthians 1:16). (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1252) St. Irenaeus wrote one of the most important works of the early Church ‘Against Heresies’, in the late second century. He states that people of every age, from infants to the elderly, have been reborn in God. The ‘Apostolic Tradition’ (usually attributed to St. Hippolytus) was written in the early third century. It states: “Baptize first the children, and if they can speak for themselves let them do so. Otherwise, let their parents or other relatives speak for them.”

Does the Catholic Church accept baptisms from another church? Yes, the Catholic Church recognizes any baptism that uses water and in which the person baptized was baptized with the Trinitarian formula. Some churches do not use the Trinitarian formula for baptism and thus their baptisms are not valid.

So I want to arrange a Baptism, what do I do? Wonderful! Speak with the parish priest using the contact details above