It will bring us great joy at Our Lady of Fatima to welcome your child into our family of faith! Children ages newborn to six years are received through the Order of Baptism of Children. Children ages seven years and older are received through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults program.

Commitment to God

Through Baptism, your child will belong to Christ forever. Baptism requires that there be a "well-founded hope" that the child will be raised in the practice of the Catholic faith. While adults are able to personally choose to follow Christ through Baptism, children cannot yet make that decision for themselves. Even so, from the earliest days of the Church, the sincere desire of parents to unite their children with Christ has been recognized.

The Church baptizes infants and very young children, provided that the parents make a solemn commitment to God to raise the child in the Catholic faith. This promise is made aloud by the parents during the Baptism ceremony. The godparents present the child for Baptism, promise to help the parents raise the child in the Catholic faith, and help the child live a Christian life.

In practical terms, this commitment means the parents promise to follow the five precepts of the church, setting the example for their children in how to live the faith. The five precepts are:

• Attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation.

• Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once a year.

• Receive the Eucharist at least once a year.

• Observe days of fasting and abstinence.

• Provide for the needs of the church through time, talent, and treasure.

Parish Community

Families are highly encouraged to be registered members of a parish. It is within the parish community that families grow in faith, learn to love their neighbor, and receive their sacraments. If you are not already registered at Our Lady of Fatima but attend Mass here or are seeking a parish community, we invite you to register online. We would love to welcome you to our parish.

Since your child, through Baptism, is being introduced and welcomed into a parish community, every effort should be made for children to receive their baptism at their own registered parish. It is the responsibility of a pastor to ensure the evangelization and sanctification of his own parishioners. In order to help each pastor to fulfill his responsibility, Our Lady of Fatima requests that all families from other parishes inform their pastor about their intent to baptize their child here at our Lady of Fatima. Please be advised that if your child is baptized at Our Lady of Fatima rather than at your parish of registration, the child's baptismal and sacramental records will be kept at Our Lady of Fatima, not at your parish of registration.

Godparent Requirements

• Only one Catholic godparent is required.

• There may be two godparents, but they must not be of the same gender.

• No one may have more than two godparents for one child.

• Godparents may not be the mother or father of the child.

• Godparents must be ages 16 or older.

• Godparents must be willing to provide spiritual guidance to the child.

• Godparents must be Catholics who have received all three Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist.

• Godparents must be practicing Catholics in good standing with the Church, living a lifestyle in harmony with the teachings of the Catholic faith, and not laboring under a canonical penalty. The following standards are used to determine whether an individual is a Catholic in good standing:

  1. Registered member of a Catholic parish;

  2. Attends Sunday Mass weekly;

  3. Contributes to the offertory; and

  4. Participates in parish ministries.

• If ages 18 or older, godparents must be registered under their own name at a Catholic parish and cannot be registered under a family member’s name (e.g., a parent’s name).

• If married, godparents must be validly, sacramentally married in the Catholic Church.

• If unmarried, godparents must be living a chaste single life.

• If divorced and remarried, godparent's previous marriage must have been annulled by a Decree of Invalidity.

Christian Witness

A baptized non-Catholic may serve as a "witness" to the ceremony, as long as a Catholic godparent is present. The non-Catholic should be an active and participating member of their Christian community. This restriction ensures that whoever is appointed as godparent will be able to represent and attest to the beliefs of the Catholic Church.

Proxy

Godparents are not required to be present on the day of the Baptism. A godparent may be represented by a proxy. If you plan to have a proxy, the proxy must be either a practicing Catholic in good standing or a baptized Christian.

Steps to Prepare for Infant Baptism

Step 1 - Infant Baptism Request Form

To begin the process of having your child baptized at Our Lady of Fatima, a parent or legal guardian must complete our online Infant Baptism Request Form.

Step 2 - Baptism Preparation Class

Register online for a mandatory Baptism Preparation Class. All parents and godparents must attend the class at Our Lady of Fatima or another parish - online classes are not accepted. A certificate of attendance will be issued at the end of class.

If you have taken a baptism class within the past two years or baptized two or more children into the Catholic Faith, you may not need to take another class.

The class is approximately one hour long and is generally scheduled monthly either on the first Monday at 9:30 AM or the second Wednesday at 6:30 PM in the Deacon Hawley Conference Room - directly across the hall from the Parish Office. The class will walk you through the Rite of Baptism of Children in order to discover the gift of the Sacrament of Baptism.

Step 3 - Parents Collect Documents

1. Birth Certificate for the Child - Photocopy

2. Godparent Eligibility Form - Each godparent completes an individual form and has it signed by the pastor and stamped with the seal of the parish where they are registered and attend Mass regularly. Please be advised that this process may take a few weeks.

3. Baptism Preparation Class Certificate of Attendance - If a parent &/or godparent completed the class at a parish other than Our Lady of Fatima, they must obtain proof of attendance.

Step 4 - Parents Submit Documents

• Parents email all completed Step 3 documents in PDF format to [email protected] or deliver them to the Parish Office or Faith Formation Office.

• Ensure that all handwriting is legible and that all images are clear.

• Incomplete forms or illegible documents will not be accepted.

Step 5 - Schedule the Baptism

When all documents have been received, reviewed, and accepted by Our Lady of Fatima, our staff will contact you to schedule the Baptism. Baptisms are typically scheduled on a Sunday after the 11:00 AM Mass. A final date can be scheduled no earlier than two weeks after all required documents are received and approved.