I WANT TO GET BAPTIZED

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The sacrament of Baptism is the sacrament that begins the process of Christian Initiation, which means that it is the sacrament that makes a person a member of the Church.The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (263) states that:

'Baptism takes away original sin, all personal sins and all punishment due to sin. It makes the baptized person a participant in the divine life of the Trinity through sanctifying grace, the grace of justification which incorporates one into Christ and into his Church. It gives on a share in the priesthood of Jesus Christ and provides the basis for communion with all Christians. It bestows the theological virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit .A baptized person belongs forever to Christ. He is marked with the indelible seal of Christ'.

A person can be baptized at St. Teresa's at any age.

Babies and small children up to 5 years old . . .

. . . are baptized in English on the Saturday following the second Tuesday of the month at 1pm.

They are baptized in Spanish on that same Saturday at the12 noon mass.

If to person to be baptized is a baby or a child up through kindergarten age, the parents or legal guardians must come to the rectory to arrange for the baptism. The baby's birth certificate must also be brought.

Parents must attend a baptismal preparation class, held on the second Tuesday of each month in English, at 7:30 pm in the rectory. Godparents are encouraged to attend if possible.

Remember: Godparents must be at least 16 years old, have completed both their first Communion and Confirmation and cannot be the parents of the child being baptized. At least one must be a Catholic but the other can be Christian Witness, that is, a practicing Christian of another denomination whose baptism the Catholic Church recognizes.

Children older than 5 years old . . .

. . . are baptized only after completing two years of Christian Education. IF they enter our religious education program at kindergarten, they would then receive their baptism after two years of religious education, that is shortly before their first communion. If however, they are older the are enrolled in a special program (The 'RCIC' the Rite of Christian Initiation of Children) for children preparing to receive their sacraments. These children would then normally be baptized after the completion of their studies with the adults at the Easter Vigil.

Adults

. . . Are baptized after participation in the process called the RCIA - The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Adults can begin at any time in the year, but please note that we require people who wish to be baptized to participate in the RCIA for two years. Adult participants in the RCIA receive the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist at one celebration on the night before Easter (the Easter Vigil).