Jesus came and said to them, "All power has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go and make followers of all the nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to do all the things I have told you. And I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” - Matthew 28: 18-20
Having your child baptized is one of the most important things you can do for your child. It ushers them into the family of God, gives then sanctifying grace, and fulfills the commandment of Jesus himself. Here in the Catholic Churches of West St. James Parish we use the Belonging preperation model.
When choosing a sponsor please remember : 1. You can only have two sponsors (one male and one female)
2. One sponsor must be a confirmed practicing Catholic in good standing with the church and must be at least 16 years old.
3. You can have a Christian Witness as a sponsor for your child. That person cannot be a non-practicing (non-confirmed) Catholic. They must be from a Christian religion.
4. If a sponsor is married, they must be married in the Catholic church or they are not eligible to be a Godparent.
5. The Baptismal seminar is required every five years. If you have attended in the past five years, you do not need to attend. Please fill the form indicating that you are filling in the information for Baptism only. At this time due we are not providing "in person" Baptismal seminars. There is an online program you can enroll in that will provide you with the same material that we were using in the classes. It will also give you a certificate when you complete the course to present to us. Please call the office for the link and/or more information about this online program.
Please fill out this form. When you submit the application it will be emailed to the Pastoral Center. Please call the Pastoral Center the week prior to the scheduled Baptism to make sure we have all of the information for your certificate and to verify that you will be at the Baptism that weekend.