Continuing The Mission Of Jesus Christ Through Word, Worship, And Service
Infants: To arrange to have a child baptized please call the parish office 756-2356 and ask to speak with Fr. Tony. He will then work with you to schedule a date for your child’s baptism. Infant baptisms are normally celebrated on Sundays (or Saturday evening) during one of the weekend Masses or after Mass.
Godparents: Parents normally select two godparents; one godmother and one godfather. At least one person must be a practicing Catholic to serve as the child’s godparent. Someone who is a practicing Christian of another church may serve as a Christian witness for the child’s baptism.
Children: Children over the age of seven are normally invited to attend the Rite of Christian Initiation of Children (RCIC) which meets at the same time as the RCIA program (see below). For more information contact Lyvenia Anthony who serves as our parish coordinator.
Adults: Adults who are unbaptized and wanting to become Catholic are invited to participate in our Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) process. The RCIA uses a team of parishioners approach in sharing the Catholic faith with those who are seeking to enter into the Church. The sessions are normally held every Wednesday from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm in the parish hall. For more information contact Lyvenia Anthony who serves as our RCIA coordinator.
In his dialogue with Nicodemus, Jesus taught that Baptism was necessary for salvation. "No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit" (Jn 3:5). After his Resurrection, Jesus met with the eleven Apostles and gave them the commission to preach the Gospel and baptize, telling them, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mk 16:16).
The word baptism in its origins is Greek and means "immersion" and "bath." Immersion in water is a sign of death and emersion out of the water means new life. To bathe in water is also to undergo cleansing. Saint Paul sums up this truth when he says, "You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead" (Col 2:12).
The origin and foundation of Christian Baptism is Jesus. Before starting his public ministry, Jesus submitted himself to the baptism given by John the Baptist. The waters did not purify him; he cleansed the waters. "He comes to sanctify the Jordan for our sake . . . to begin a new creation through the Spirit and water" (St. Gregory Nazianzen, Liturgy of the Hours, I, 634).
Jesus' immersion in the water is a sign for all human beings of the need to die to themselves to do God's will. Jesus did not need to be baptized because he was totally faithful to the will of his Father and free from sin. However, he wanted to show his solidarity with human beings in order to reconcile them to the Father.
By commanding his disciples to baptize all nations, he established the means by which people would die to sin—Original and actual—and begin to live a new life with God.