Baptism

Baptism seals the Christian with the indelible spiritual mark … of his belonging to Christ. The Catechism of the Catholic Church #1272

The Sacrament of Baptism is the first of three Sacraments of Initiation into the Catholic Church.  As Catholics we believe that a child or adult is baptized into a community of believers.  That community, during the baptismal rite, agrees to help the newly baptized on their journey of faith.

The requirements for the Sacrament of Baptism for a child are:

  • At least one parent must be an active, registered member of Our Lady of the Woods and a baptized Catholic (a copy of baptism certificate  of Catholic parent will be needed)
  • Parents must attend a Baptism preparation class and a Christian Parenting class.
  • Parents must register with the Parish Office, for a baptism date and class dates.  

Godparents
Things to consider before choosing your child’s Godparent(s)
These are the requirements that are needed.
1. Must be at least 16 years of age
2. Have received all of the sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist (Must be noted on Godparent’s baptism certificate)
3. Be a practicing Catholic and not a parent of the candidate for baptism
4. If either of the Godparent(s) are married, the marriage must be a sacramental marriage in the Catholic Church. (Must be noted on Godparent’s baptism certificate)The Godparent must be a registered member of a Catholic Parish (this includes Chaldean as well other Eastern Rite Catholic parishes)
5. There can be one or two Godparents; they must be male and female
Godparent(s) need to return the Godparent Form with a parish seal and a copy of a recent (issued within last 6 months) baptism certificate with all the sacramental notations no later than one month before date of your child.
Baptism Certificates can be obtained at parish of baptism.

Witnesses that do not meet the above criteria are welcome, and encouraged to join us during any of the preparation for baptism as well during the ceremony; however they cannot be recorded in any of the documents.