Baptisms are celebrated throughout the year outside the Seasons of Advent or Lent for children under 5 years old for parish members. If a child is older than 5 years, the child must be registered in the Family Catechesis Program and will become a member of the Order of Christian Initiation of Children (OCIC), and the child will be baptized at the Easter Vigil.
If you are not a member of the parish, please register at the parish office. It is our parish policy that your child will be baptized six months after registration. If you are a member at another parish, please contact your pastor, his permission is required to baptize your child in our parish. Preparation is mandatory for parents, sponsors/godparents, and witnesses (non-Catholics). One Catholic godparent in good standing with the Church is required for the validity of the Sacrament. Please read the requirenments for sponsors/godparents below, before filling out the Baptism Request Form. They should not be bound by any canonical penalty legitimately imposed or declared. It is, they must live according to Catholic teachings.
If one of the parents is not Catholic, Pastor’s need permission from non Catholic parent on a written form.
If you are interested in having your child join our faith,
please fill out the Baptism Request Form below and send to
Fr. David G. Sánchez
Pastor
(502) 896-0241
dsanchez@ourlourdes.org
Welcome the new members of our church!
August 29, 2024
June 29, 2024
About Baptism
The sacrament of baptism ushers us into the divine life, cleanses us from sin, and initiates us as members of the Christian community. It is the foundation for sacramental life. At baptism, the presider prays over the water:
“Father, look now with love upon your Church, and unseal for her the fountain of baptism. By the power of the Holy Spirit give to this water the grace of your Son, so that in the sacrament of baptism all those whom you have created in your likeness may be cleansed from sin and rise to a new birth of innocence by water and the Holy Spirit.”
Christian Initiation of Adults, #222A
Freed From Sin
Baptism frees us from the bondage of original and actual sin. Water is poured in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Today, the sacrament of baptism is often performed on infants, shortly after birth. Adult baptisms take place at the Easter Vigil through the restored Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. Adults or children who have been baptized in a valid Christian church are not baptized again in the Catholic church. As we say in the Nicene Creed, “I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins…”
The Catechism teaches:
“The fruit of Baptism, or baptismal grace, is a rich reality that includes forgiveness of original sin and all personal sins, birth into the new life by which man becomes an adoptive son of the Father, a member of Christ and a temple of the Holy Spirit. By this very fact the person baptized is incorporated into the Church, the Body of Christ, and made a sharer in the priesthood of Christ” (CCC 1279).
Baptism Symbols
- Water – The waters of baptism recall Jesus’ own baptism by John the Baptist in the river Jordan. Water is a symbol of cleansing and renewal as we begin a new life in Christ. We are washed clean of sin. From death of sin to eternal life!
- Oils – At baptism we are anointed with the Chrism into the life of Christ as “priest, prophet and king.” A cross is traced on the candidate’s forehead as a reminder that we are inheritors of the Kingdom of God. The Oil of the Catechumens invites us to membership of the Church, and Adoption of Christ.
- Light – The baptismal candle is lit from the Paschal or Easter candle that stands in the church as a sign of Christ’s light in the world. At baptism, we receive the light of Christ and are called forth to share this light with the world.
- White Garment – The white garment that is placed upon us at baptism is a symbol of Christ’s victory over death and his glorious resurrection. Likewise, the white garment or pall that is placed over the coffin at the time of death recalls our baptismal promises and reminds us that we are destined for eternal life.
Sponsors/Godparents’ Requirenments
Can. 872 Insofar as possible, a person to be baptized is to be given a sponsor who assists an adult in Christian initiation or together with the parents presents an infant for baptism. A sponsor also helps the baptized person to lead a Christian life in keeping with baptism and to fulfill faithfully the obligations inherent in it.
Can. 873 There is to be only one male sponsor or one female sponsor or one of each.
Can. 874 §1. To be permitted to take on the function of sponsor a person must:
- 1/ be designated by the one to be baptized, by the parents or the person who takes their place, or in their absence by the pastor or minister and have the aptitude and intention of fulfilling this function;
- 2/ have completed the sixteenth year of age, unless the diocesan bishop has established another age, or the pastor or minister has granted an exception for a just cause;
- 3/ be a Catholic who has been confirmed and has already received the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist and who leads a life of faith in keeping with the function to be taken on;
- 4/ not be bound by any canonical penalty legitimately imposed or declared; (It is, if Catholic must be married in the Catholic Church, and cannot be divorced.)
- 5/ not be the father or mother of the one to be baptized.
A baptized person who belongs to a non-Catholic ecclesial community is not to participate except together with a Catholic sponsor and then only as a witness of the baptism.
Catholic Sponsors, when couples, should provide prove of Matrimony in the Catholic faith.