Baptism


Helpful Baptismal instructions below.

Please contact Deacon Frank to schedule a Baptism at St. Stephen:



Email Deacon Frank

  Deacon Frank Kedzielawa

   Frank@amklawyers.com

     716-773-3364

 

Congratulations on the birth of your child

and your decision to bring the child into the family of the Catholic Church by Baptism! 

Baptisms

Please contact Deacon Frank to request a Baptism for your baby. Parents can request a Baptism during Mass or you may request a Baptism outside of mass, which will be preformed by a Deacon. Outside of Mass Baptisms are scheduled on a Saturday morning, or after the Saturday 4:30pm mass, or on Sunday after 11am Mass.

Parents at least one of the natural/adoptive parents of the child must request a baptism for their child. A request by a grandparent or other relative is insufficient.

If you attend and consider St. Stephen your parish please make sure that you are formally registered. It is very simple to register on our home page.

Parents who belong to another parish may have their child baptized at our parish. 

A letter of permission from their pastor is required which gives permission for a child to be baptized at St. Stephen.

If this is your first child- viewing a one time only pre-Baptism catechesis (class) is required for both parents - this video class can be viewed online at FORMED.org. There is a link to FORMED on the home page of our website. Your membership is free through St. Stephen Parish. Watch: Reborn Episode 1 : A New Beginning.

 

There is a minimum stipend of $50 payable to the clergy who performs the baptism. It is accepted the day of the baptism.

Godparent requirements:

 

Being a godparent is more than a social or family obligation. In the mind of the Church, a Godparent should be living a good Catholic life, attending mass regularly and participating in the Sacraments, so as to be an example for the child. A Godparent accompanies the child through the various stages of Christian initiation. The custom of the Church is to have two Godparents. However, one is sufficient.

Given this understanding, the REQUIREMENTS for a Roman Catholic Godparent are:

 

1.     A practicing Catholic who is registered in a parish and can obtain a *letter of recommendation from his/her parish priest;     

2.     Confirmed in the Roman Catholic Church.

3.     In a valid Roman Catholic marriage (if married).

*A letter of recommendation states that a person is worthy to be a godparent.

Getting a Letter of Recommendation for a Godparent: 

If Godparent(s) are chosen from St. Stephen Parish, please check if they are actually registered parishioners in good standing (by meeting the above requirements). Just because persons have been Baptized, Confirmed and/or Married at St. Stephen, does not necessarily mean that they are formally registered. People formally register by filling out a census form in person or on the website of their parish.

If the Godparent(s) are from another parish they would need to obtain a Letter of Recommendation from their parish at which they are active.

Amen, Amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. (John 3:5)

The sacrament of baptism ushers us into the divine life, cleanses us from sin, and initiates us as members of the Christian community. It is the foundation for the sacramental life.

At baptism, the presider prays over the water:
Father, look now with love upon your Church, and unseal for her the fountain of baptism. By the power of the Holy Spirit give to this water the grace of your Son, so that in the sacrament of baptism all those whom you have created in your likeness may be cleansed from sin and rise to a new birth of innocence by water and the Holy Spirit. (Christian Initiation of Adults, #222A)

Freed from Sin

Baptism frees us from the bondage of original and actual sin. Water is poured in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Today, the sacrament of baptism is often performed on infants, shortly after birth. Adult baptisms take place at the Easter Vigil through the restored Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. Adults or children who have been baptized in a valid Christian church are not baptized again in the Catholic church. As we say in the Nicene Creed, “I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins…”

The Catechism teaches:
"The fruit of Baptism, or baptismal grace, is a rich reality that includes forgiveness of original sin and all personal sins, birth into the new life by which man becomes an adoptive son of the Father, a member of Christ and a temple of the Holy Spirit. By this very fact the person baptized is incorporated into the Church, the Body of Christ, and made a sharer in the priesthood of Christ" (CCC 1279).

Baptismal Symbols

  • Water – The waters of baptism recall Jesus’ own baptism by John the Baptist in the river Jordan. Water is a symbol of cleansing and renewal as we begin a new life in Christ. We are washed clean of sin.
  • Oil – At baptism we are anointed into the life of Christ as “priest, prophet and king.” A cross is traced on the candidate’s forehead as a reminder that we are inheritors of the Kingdom of God.
  • Light – The baptismal candle is lit from the Paschal or Easter candle that stands in the church as a sign of Christ’s light in the world. At baptism, we receive the light of Christ and are called forth to share this light with the world.
  • White garment – The white garment that is placed upon us at baptism is a symbol of Christ’s victory over death and his glorious resurrection. Likewise, the white garment or pall that is placed over the coffin at the time of death recalls our baptismal promises and reminds us that we are destined for eternal life.
While in ordinary circumstances, sacraments in the Catholic Church are administered validly by a member of the ordained clergy, in an emergency situation, the sacrament of baptism can be administered by anyone.

In case of necessity, any person can baptize provided that he have the intention of doing that which the Church does and provided that he pour water on the candidates head while saying: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (CCC 1284).