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GODPARENTS
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BAPTISM
for children under age 7 The Rite of Baptism
for Children relates to children under the age of 7. Adults are baptised
through a different rite. This rite is called the RCIA or Rite of Christian
Initiation of Adults. Click here
for more information. What is Baptism? To be baptised is to be born again into the life of Christ. In
Baptism a person becomes a disciple of Jesus Christ, and a member of the
Church. If you live in the Surfers Paradise Parish area and want your child
to be baptised please contact the Parish Office as
early as possible. Baptisms are held at the Children under the age of 4 The process
involves the following steps: 1.
Parents register the desire to have their child Baptised via the Parish Secretary by calling 5572 5433; 2.
A member of the Baptism Team contacts all the families
who will have their child baptised on a particular
weekend and invite them to come together for some input and support as they
present their children for Baptism; 3.
On the last Sunday of the month (prior to the Baptism)
all the families and group leaders meet at 9 am Sunday mass to be presented
to the community; 4.
Each group celebrates Baptism together on the allocated
Sunday; 5.
The Catholic Women’s League will send Greeting Cards to
children on the anniversary of their Baptism. Children aged 4-6 Children of this age are more aware of the ceremony and
what is happening. Therefore parents are asked to attend 4 sessions to assist
them in preparing their older child. During these sessions, resources will be
accessed to support parents in the faith development of their children. Children from the age of 7 enter an adapted form of the
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, and would be fully initiated,
receiving the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and eucharist
during the Easter Vigil, as adults do. Parents wishing to have their children baptised should contact with the Parish Secretary. Parents wishing to baptise
children who are above the age of four need to meet
with the Pastoral Associate to enrol in this
program. Click here
to make an appointment. In Baptism, the first of the Sacraments
of Initiation into the Church, we are given a new birth by water and the Holy
Spirit; we become a child of God. In
the Sacrament of Confirmation we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. Our First Eucharist completes our
initiation and we enter fully into the life of the Church. Seeking Baptism for your child is
something not be done lightly and without
preparation. By asking to have your child baptised you
are making a commitment to raise the child as Catholic, and by word and
example train your child in the practice of the faith. It is important to take time and truly
reflect on why we want our children baptised. Baptism is making a commitment before God,
first to the child, and secondly to the Church Community as a whole, to raise
them in the faith to the best of our ability.
To get them into Catholic Schools is not a sufficient reason on
its own. As your child’s parents, you are have
given him or her life and, no doubt, you want the best for your child. You are your child’s first teacher and role
model. What you say or do, what you are will be the most important influence on
your child’s personality and view of the world. No one can replace your role as parent and
the most influential person in your child’s life. The Parish offers you support in your role
in forming your child to be a follower of Jesus Christ. The first of these supports is the baptism
preparation process. You need to undertake
this process before the child is baptised. We will also support you as a Parish
Community, through our Liturgical celebrations, Sacramental Program and
Schools. Please feel free to contact
the Parish about any faith support opportunities available. Godparents are those people you have
chosen to have a specific role in assisting you in the faith life of your
child. For this reason, at least one
of those people supporting you must be Roman Catholic. Whilst it is a great honour to be chosen to
be a child’s godparent, the role also is a serious one. In choosing Godparents you are inviting
them into the faith development of your child. Take care to choose people who you will be
sure will take an active interest in helping you to nurture the faith of your
children. For
further information on Baptism or any of the Sacraments please do not
hesitate to contact us at the Parish Office. Baptism, the
beginning….. You present your child to the Church for Baptism in our Parish
Community. This is an important event and a serious step for you to
take. Through Baptism your child will
receive the gift of new life, the life of the risen Christ. Being baptised is
the first step of your child’s initiation into the Church and the beginning
of a journey of faith – to know they are loved by God and in response to know
and love God. Your child needs your
help to become aware of the wonderful gift he or she has received in
Baptism. Your family, from the moment
of your child’s birth, is the primary source of your child’s religious
experience. Your family,
will be the major influence in your child’s faith development, the “domestic
church”. How then can you nurture the
precious gift your child receives in their Baptism? Everyday
experiences.… Caring for our children’s needs such as feeding, bathing,
cuddling, rocking them and so on are ways of conveying to them they are loved
and safe. It is through these
experiences that children develop basic trust in those who care for them and
the environment in which they live.
God is love and when your child experiences your love through these
normal human encounters God’s love touches them. Their first experience of God who loves
them comes through you. Creating
rituals…. Rituals give children security, predictability and a sense of
belonging. Perhaps, each night as you
put your child to bed, you could make the sign of the cross on their forehead
as you will do on the day of their Baptism and say “God bless you and protect
you as you sleep”. As they grow older,
lighting a candle and praying a few minutes by its light recalls the powerful
symbol of receiving the light of Christ in Baptism. Think about how you greet and farewell each
other in your family. Are there new
traditions you want to create? Developing
a sense of wonder….. Young children are naturally interested in all that is
around them. The sensation of jumping
in a puddle or walking in the rain, the sight of a rainbow or a sunset, a
tiny shell on the beach, the smell of bread and Vegemite, the scent of
jonquils, the sound of birds or cicadas or the wind in the trees, the soft
feel of a new born chicken, the taste of a freshly baked cake all evoke a
sense of wonder and delight. What
memories do you want your child to have?
Take time to help them wonder about who made these things? Without answering, ask questions like, “I
wonder how such a small seed grows to become a tree?…” Parents
are the first and best teachers and models for their children…. Children
imitate their parents and they learn by what they see them do or fail to
do. They see how you forgive… how you
speak of others…. How you care for others…. Parents
give them language….. Children learn to name parts of their environment as
you talk about eating food, going to bed, walking outside, and playing with
friends. In the same way they learn
the language of God through you as you talk about God, as you teach your
children to pray, as you explain different things about going to The
importance of growing up in a stable environment…… A child’s faith in God and
confidence in the world around them is strengthened by the love and
commitment of those who care for them.
A mother and father in love with each other and committed to their
family naturally create a warm, secure environment for their children. Solo parents, with the help of a supportive
extended family and parish, can ensure their children come to a wholesome
maturity. Stability, positive
encouragement and love are able to be provided in all families by parents who
see their children as a priority in their lives and are willing to give of
their time and energy to nurturing and caring for them. Remember….
If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn. If a child lives with hostility, she learns
to fight. If a child lives with
ridicule, he learns to feel shy. If a
child lives with shame, she learns to be guilty. If a child lives with tolerance, he learns
to be patient. If a child lives with
encouragement, she learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate. If a child lives with fairness, she learns
justice. If child lives with security,
he learns to have faith. If a child
lives with approval, she learns to like herself. If a child lives with acceptance and
friendship, he learns to find love in the world. Frequently Asked
Questions: What other preparations
should we do as parents? Apart from attending a parish based
preparation program, it would be helpful to reflect on a number of questions. Ø
Why
do we want our child baptised? Ø
Are
we prepared to raise our child according to the promises we will make on the
day of Baptism? Ø
How
will we best do that? Ø
Who
do we want to be Godparents and why (one must be a Catholic)? What do we need to bring on
the day of Baptism? Apart from coming yourself and bringing
your child to be baptised, you may need to bring a
candle. You may need to consult with
the Priest. A white garment is
symbolically part of the ritual and most babies will come dressed in them,
but depending on the Parish this may be provided; again consult with the
Parish in order to establish the local custom. It is a good idea to bring your camera and
video to record the event and appoint one person to discretely take photos or
film. We don’t live in the
Parish. Can we still have our child baptised here? Children are baptised
in the Parish where they live. When a child is baptised,
the parents promise to raise the child, “to keep God’s commandments as
Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbour”. The child becomes a
member of the Church. At the local level, belonging to the Church is
expressed by belonging to a worshiping community, such as a Parish. So it
makes sense for baptism to be celebrated in a place where the child and their
family will continue to gather for worship in an ongoing way. If you do not live in our Parish area,
but have good reason to ask for the baptism to take place here, we would
consider your request seriously. When baptising
children from outside the Parish, we involve the child’s local Parish in the
preparation and follow-up. Can we have a private
baptism? Well, actually, there is no such thing!
In having your child baptised, you are making a
public statement that you intend to raise your child in the faith of the
Church. The child becomes a member of the Church through baptism. It is an
event that has significance beyond family and friends. It is highly
appropriate that other members of the Church be present. This is one of the reasons that we often
baptise children from two or more families at the
same ceremony. Do the godparents have to be
Catholic? At least one does. All godparents have
to be baptised Christians. Godparents are asked
three times during the ceremony “Do you believe…” in the central beliefs of the
Christian Faith (see the liturgy book for details). They have to be able to
sincerely answer “Yes”. They promise to support the parents in their task of
raising the child in the faith of Christ. What does it cost? There are no charges for Baptism or for
any of the Sacraments. It is however,
customary to make an offering to the celebrant. How long does the service
take? A typical Baptism Liturgy usually takes half an
hour, depending on the number to be baptised. Depending on the day and the Parish, this
can mean your child may well be baptised along with
two or more other children. As the
ritual is about welcoming the child into our particular faith community, the
more people who attend the celebration the better, as it increases the
communal atmosphere and nature of the liturgy. My child is now over four
years old, what impact will this have on their Baptism? Children who are older than four undergo a slightly
different preparation as they are old enough to have some understanding of
the Sacrament themselves. Parents with
children older than four should make an appointment to see the Pastoral
Associate on 5572 5433 or by email to surfers@bne.catholic.net.au. My child was baptised in another Christian Church, can they be baptised Catholic? The Roman Catholic Church recognizes those baptisms
with water following the Trinitarian formula (“Name, I baptise
you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” while
water is being poured). Baptism is not repeated. The child will be received
into the Catholic Church following an adapted Rite of Christian Initiation of
Adults when they are older, or can complete the sacraments of initiation with
their peers in the Sacramental Program.
All such enquiries should be directed to the Pastoral Associate.
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