If you are seeking Baptism as an adult, visit our Becoming Catholic page. We are happy to celebrate your Baptism and your initiation into supernatural life.

If you are looking for Baptism for your newborn child, congratulations! We are happy that God has blessed your family with new life. As good parents you care for the physical and emotional needs of your child, and as Christian parents you will care for the spiritual needs of your son or daughter by presenting your child for baptism. Baptism is the foundational sacrament of Christian life and for membership in God’s Church. Jesus Christ, while on the cross, gave us baptism from the very waters that poured from his pierced heart, and in this sacrament we see how much God truly loves us. The Sacrament of baptism has profound and eternal effects.

When a person is baptized he or she is:

Made in new creation, an adopted son or daughter of God, who has become partaker of the divine nature.  – CCC 1265

A member of the Body of Christ, the Church. – CCC 1267

Freed from the power of darkness and is brought into the realm of the freedom of the children of God. – CCC 1250

Able to believe in God, to hope in him, an to love him through the theological virtues;
Given the power to love and act under the prompting of the Holy Spirit though the gifts of the Holy Spirit;
Helped to grow in the goodness through the moral virtues. – CCC 1266

REQUIREMENTS

PARENTS

• Parents must be willing to bring their child up in the Catholic Faith. Baptism is the beginning of supernatural life, but it must be nurtured throughout life.
• If parents belong to a parish other than the Cathedral they will have to provide a letter of permission from their pastor to have their child baptized at the Cathedral. This is true if parents live outside the Cathedral parish boundaries and have not been registered here for at least 6 months. They are automatically parishioners of the parish they live in (their “parish of residence”)
• Parents must attend a baptism preparation class here or at their parish.

GODPARENTS / SPONSORS

• Must be good examples and sources of support for both the child and the parents and be fully initiated members of the Catholic church.
• Must be confirmed and at least 16 years old.
• Must either be living a chaste life as a single person or be married in a valid Catholic marriage.
• Must be actively living their faith, attend Mass and confession regularly.
• Must attend a baptism preparation class here or supply proof of attendance from their local parish.
• Only one Catholic godparent is required.

DOCUMENTS:

• A copy of child’s birth certificate. The baptismal certificate is considered a legally valid document and we need to assure the accuracy of all information.
• Letters  from the parishes of the godparents attesting to their readiness to serve as godparents. Certificate to Serve as Godparents document.
• If you are not a registered member at the Cathedral, a letter from your parish of residence granting permission from your pastor to have your child baptized at the Cathedral. Permission Letter document.
• If baptism prep classes were attended at another parish, letters of class completion from the Catholic church where you and your child’s godparents took the class.
• The baptism will not be scheduled until all necessary documents have been received and the classes are completed.

Once you have given the Cathedral office the copy of the birth certificate and the letters for the godparents (and if applicable, from your pastor) we will schedule you for a baptism preparation class. The class is one hour and occurs at 1:30pm on the first Sunday of each month. After completing the class you can be scheduled for the baptism, which occur on the second and fourth Sundays of each month.

There will likely be more than one child baptized together, with several families present.  If you prefer to have a private baptism, please let us know.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call us at 303-831-7010.