Baptism

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“You have put on Christ, in Him you have been baptized. Alleluia, alleluia!”

What is Baptism

On behalf of St. Hilary and St. Anthony, congratulations! We know this is an exciting time for you as you welcome a new member of your family. We rejoice with you and invite you to make your child a member of Christ’s Body by bringing them into the Church through the Sacrament of Baptism.

Baptism is the first of three Sacraments of Initiation whereby a person becomes a member of the Church. These three sacraments taken together “lay the foundations of every Christian life” (CCC 1212) and Baptism, as the first of these initial sacraments, is “the gateway to life in the Spirit and the door which gives access to the other sacraments” (CCC 1213). In his encounter with Nicodemus, Jesus said that “no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit” (John 3:5) signifying the sacrament of Baptism which he would institute. It was in his own baptism by St. John the Baptist that Jesus purified the waters of the earth preparing them to be a vessel of God’s grace. It was in his suffering, death, and resurrection that Jesus opened the fountain of Baptism to all people. Baptism was fully instituted as a sacrament when Jesus commissioned his apostles to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).

The Effects Of Baptism

The first effect of the Sacrament of Baptism is the washing away of original sin and the forgiveness of all personal sins if the person being baptized is old enough to have committed any personal sins. Just as we use water to wash our bodies from dirt, the waters of baptism wash our souls from spiritual dirt or sin.

The second effect of Baptism is being made a new creature by being reborn through water and the Holy Spirit. In baptism, the Holy Spirit descends upon the person and takes up residence in his soul. Thus, Baptism makes us the dwelling place of the Most Blessed Trinity and a holy temple of God. Due to original sin, we are deprived of the divine life of the Holy Spirit. But when this original stain is washed away, we are born anew and made adopted children of God.

The third effect of Baptism is being made members of the Church, the Body of Christ, and the family of God, and unites us to all the baptized throughout the world.

Finally, Baptism leaves an indelible (permanent) mark on our soul which identifies us as being configured to Christ and sealed with the sign of faith. This mark can never be removed.

Baptismal Preparation

Before having your child baptized, there are several things you will need to do.

First, you will need to complete the Baptism Form (see below). This includes basic information as well as an affirmation statement to be signed by the Catholic parent(s) stating that they will raise the child in the Catholic faith. There is also a Godparent/Sponsor Questionnaire to be completed and signed by the godparent(s) stating that they meet the criteria required to be a godparent and that they will help the parents raise the child in the Catholic faith. We will also need a copy of the child’s birth certificate.

Both the parents and godparents will then need to complete a baptismal seminar. The requirement to attend the seminar may be waived for parents if this is not their first child to be baptized. It may be waived for godparents in the event that a Catholic baptismal seminar has been attended within the last two years. These seminars are held on the third Sunday of the month at 3pm at the St. Hilary multipurpose building. Deacon Tim Vedros and his wife, Mrs. Donna host the monthly seminar.

Once this is completed, the Coordinator of Parish Life will contact you to set a date for your child’s Baptism. If you have any questions, please contact us at (985) 537-6002.

St. Hilary & St. Anthony Baptism Form

Welcome to St. Hilary and St. Anthony! We are thrilled that you are seeking the Sacrament of Baptism for your child(ren).

The following information is very important. Please read everything carefully:

This Form is only to be filled out for children under the age of 7. If your child is over 7 years of age, Mrs. Sarah Salinas would be happy help you with the RCIC process. you can contact her at 985-537-6002 OR ssalinas@htdiocese.org.

Please fill out the form below and submit it, and our Coordinator of Parish Life, Sarah Matherne, will get in touch with you soon. If you have any questions, feel free to give her a call or send an email to sarah.matherne@htdiocese.org.

Baptisms are celebrated by a priest or a deacon and are scheduled based on their availability. While we try to schedule Baptisms after weekend Masses, that is not always possible. Alternative days and/or times may have to be used and we appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

Please note, parents/legal guardians will complete their baptism preparation through Saint Hilary only if they live within the Saint Hilary boundaries or are registered parishioners. If legal guardians do not live within our boundaries and are not registered parishioners, they must complete baptismal preparation through the church parish in whose boundaries they live or the church parish at which they are registered.

In order for us to finalize the date of Baptism, the following paperwork is required:

  • Completed Baptism Information Form (the form below)
  • Copy of child’s Birth Certificate* or Letter of Live Birth
    • This document can be a scanned version or a photo sent to sarah.matherne@htdiocese.org.
  • Copies of Godparent Confirmation Record, sent from church of Confirmation or from church of Baptism
    • Copies can be emailed directly from the church of Baptism or Confirmation to Sarah Matherne at sarah.matherne@htdiocese.org. Godparents will be responsible to contact the church of Baptism/Confirmation and provide the date of Confirmation or date of birth so that the records can be sent to us.
  • Copy/Copies of the Godparent/Sponsor Questionnaire
    • Once the following form is completed, Sarah Matherne will contact you to talk about the godparent selection process. Once qualified godparents are selected, you will receive a digital copy of the questionnaire. Download the form, then print, fill out, scan, and send a digital copy back to sarah.matherne@htdiocese.org (or bring a physical copy to the office).
  • Baptism Fee: $50.00
    • This can be paid with a credit card through this form or with cash or check at the time of the Baptism.
  • *In the instance of shared custody, consent from both parents must be also provided. In the instance of full custody of a child following divorce or adoption, custody paperwork must also be provided.

Are you a registered parishioner?
If not, would you like to be?

Child's Full Name

Name
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Gender
Desired Church of Baptism
Accepted file types: jpg, gif, png, pdf, Max. file size: 300 MB.

Father's Name

Name

Mother's Name

Name

Mailing Address

Address
Are you married in the Catholic Church?
If you answered "no" above, are you civilly married or married in a different faith?
Custody Status
Have the parents/guardians attended a Baptismal Seminar in the diocese within the past 5 years?
Affirmation of Parents (Please choose one.)

God Parents

Godparents play a very important role in the lives of their newly baptized godchildren. It is the responsibility of the godparents to show the child how to practice the Gospel in personal and social life, to sustain the candidates in moments of hesitancy and anxiety, to bear witness to the Gospel in their own lives, and to guide the child’s progress in the baptismal life. Because of this, godparents must:

  • Be at least 16 years old
  • Be a Catholic who is already confirmed and have received First Communion
  • Be leading a life of faith in harmony with the duty undertaken
  • Not be under a lawfully imposed or declared canonical penalty (impediment)
  • Not be the father or mother of the one to be baptized
If you are concerned about any possible impediments, please feel free to call our office to discuss it with our Coordinator of Parish Life. Common impediments include:
  • Civil Marriage/Marriage in a different Ecclesial Community
  • Divorce/remarriage outside of the Church
  • Living with a significant other who is not one’s sacramentally wedded spouse
  • Active participation in another Ecclesial Community/Denomination rather than in the Catholic Church (ex: Sunday services at a non-Catholic church, active denial of Catholic faith in favor of a different denomination)

Please note, two godparents are not required; one is sufficient. However, if two godparents are selected, according to Canon Law 874, one must be male and the other must be female. It may happen that parents want to have two persons of the same sex to be godparents, and they may have good reasons for this. A possible solution is to register one as the official godparent, while the other would assume the cultural and familial customs connected with the role. In other words, one would be godmother in the eyes of the church, but both could be called “Nanny” or “Parrain” and be a special influence in the child’s life.

Taking all of this into consideration, you are encouraged to select godparents who will fulfill this responsibility to the best of their ability. Once your form is completed, Sarah Matherne will contact you to discuss the selected godparents and continue with the process of scheduling your child’s Baptism.

Proposed Godfather's Name

Name
Please download the following form for the proposed godfather to complete. Once completed and signed, you can scan or take a picture of the form and send it to sarah.matherne@htdiocese.org

Godparent Questionnaire

Proposed Godmother's Name

Name
Please download the following form for the proposed godmother to complete. Once completed and signed, you can scan or take a picture of the form and send it to sarah.matherne@htdiocese.org

Godparent Questionnaire