Baptism

The St. Joseph Business Administrator is the point of contact for your child’s baptism and will provide the details of the Baptism Pathway and answer any questions you may have. Please call the office at 608-884-3038 opt 1 or email admin@stjoeedgerton.org.

We’re excited to welcome you and your child into the St. Joseph Parish family! If you are not already registered at St. Joseph, or if you are still under your parents’ registration, please complete a registration form and submit it to the parish office. Registration Form

Please introduce yourselves to Fr. David before a Mass and he will make time for a brief meeting after that Mass regarding your child’s Baptism. Fr. David will go over some of the Baptism Pathway requirements regarding you, as the parents, and the godparents. He will then direct you to contact the office and to sign up for the first meeting with your Baptism Mentors.

We use a customized mentoring model in helping you prepare for your child’s baptism. You will be assigned to a couple who are currently active and raising (or have raised) a family in St. Joseph Parish. The Baptism Mentors will get to know you personally and walk with you on your journey of faith and discovery. This meeting is typically held after a Sunday Mass at church; however, other arrangements may also be made. Sponsors/Godparents (if known) are welcome to attend.

Using the REBORN series through Formed.org you will learn about the sacrament of Baptism and the important mission of Christian parenting. This program includes videos and a Participant guide (workbook). We will supply you with the guide before your class. During the class you will watch REBORN Session 2: “Entering the Mystery” followed by discussion.

After this class, the next step is to schedule the meeting with Fr. David. You will need to watch REBORN Session 1: “A New Creation” and answer the Small Group Discussion questions in your participant guide before meeting with him.

Once the meeting with the Baptism Mentors is completed, Fr. David will contact you to schedule a more in-depth meeting with him. He is looking forward to celebrating this special day with your family and take this opportunity to get to know you and your family, and share how we, as your parish family, can help support your growth as disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. This pre-baptism meeting is also a great opportunity to ask any questions you may have about baptism, the baptism liturgy, godparents, the parish, etc. During this meeting you will review the REBORN Session 1 video.

Fr. David will instruct you to watch REBORN – Episode 3: “Nurturing the Life of Grace” before your last meeting. Your Mentors with contact you to schedule it.

Together with your Baptism Mentors you will review, in part, REBORN – Episode 3: “Nurturing the Life of Grace” and explore:

• the Sacrament of Baptism… what is it and why is it important?
• how living your baptism promises will help you and your family grow in relationship with God through living the Catholic faith;
• discerning the selection of Godparents;
• the joys and challenges of raising children in our current culture and the value of a faith lived through a parish community.

This will be a great opportunity to further get to know another couple in our parish who can share their Baptismal experiences as well as traditions they have implemented as a family that keep their family close to Christ, and why they chose the godparents.

It is at this step on the pathway that we will discuss the date for your child’s Baptism. Your child’s baptism date will be confirmed once the preparation process is completed.

The Business Administrator will support you through the completion of paperwork and the selection of your child’s Godparents:

• Baptism Application Form – Baptism Application Form Please complete and return to the Business Administrator
• Sponsor Form for Catholic Godparents – Sponsor Form If the Godparents are members of St. Joseph Parish, please give to Fr. David to complete. Otherwise, sponsors should have their home parish pastor complete the form and return to the Business Administrator

The selection of Godparents is an important task. Godparents are responsible for assisting in the spiritual development of your child, so it is important that they live the faith on a personal level and on a regular basis. In order to honor this important role, Godparents should:

• be practicing Catholics, participating weekly at Mass;
• be age sixteen or older;
• have been confirmed;
• if married, have their marriage recognized by the Catholic church (documents completed with a priest or deacon); and
• present a completed Sponsor Form from their home Catholic Parish.

One Godparent is required, and two Godparents (one male and one female) may be chosen. Under special circumstances, permission may be given for one non-Catholic who is a baptized Christian to be a “witness” to the baptism. Witnesses cannot be former Catholics and are not considered Godparents.

Please keep in mind that these requirements serve not to impede your child’s Baptism, but rather to lovingly support you in providing the best choice of Godparents for your child’s faith.

In the event that a Godparent cannot be present for the baptism because of distance, age or illness, a designated person may act as a proxy. The proxy for Godparent must also be a confirmed Catholic in good standing with their parish.

While not a requirement for your child’s baptism, please consider participating in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Just as Baptism cleanses a child’s soul of Original Sin, so the Sacrament of Reconciliation cleanses an adult’s soul from personal sins. If you have been away from the Sacrament of Reconciliation for a while, do not worry, the priest will walk you through the steps.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered at various days/times in our parish, please see the bulletin for current schedules.

Here at St. Joseph, the Sacrament of Baptism is encouraged to be celebrated during either our Saturday evening or Sunday morning liturgy. However, it can be scheduled at times outside the weekend liturgy.

White clothing is traditional for the child, but not required.

Baptism is an occasion to celebrate! Please invite as many relatives and friends as you would like!

Once your child has been baptized, their faith journey is just beginning! You will want to live and model the faith, supported by the many opportunities to worship, grow, serve, connect and give at St. Joseph Parish.

Once a year in the spring we host a follow up gathering. All families that have had a child baptized during the previous year and the sponsors are invited to attend along with the Baptism Mentors to share our faith, fellowship, offer each other encouragement and enjoy great meal!

You will nurture your child on their discipleship journey, supported by St. Joseph Faith Formation Program. Our Faith Formation Program includes Junior Disciples – 4K/5K, Youth Formation: Grades 1 through 5, Teen Formation: Grades 6 through High School and Family Faith Formation. We also offer Adult Formation through Small Group study and RCIA (becoming Catholic). Please contact our Faith Formation Coordinator, at 608-884-3038 opt 2 or cre@stjoeedgerton.org for more info.