Baptism

Congratulations
The Christian community congratulates you on the birth of your child. We share your joy and that of your family and friends. It is natural that you want what is best for your child and that you want to share your faith with him or her. That is why you present your child for baptism.


Your Faith is important 
Your most important preparation is to look at your own faith. Your baby will be born with your features and will pick up your mannerisms. As he or she gets older your child will grow up, too, with our faith. When you approach the church about having your child baptised you will be encouraged to thin through your own faith and the part it plays in your life. The very fact that have asked to have your baby baptised shows that you recognise the importance of God in your life. From the earliest days children too young to answer for themselves have been baptised, usually as they accompanied their parents into the Church. For the church recognises the desire of Christian parents to share the life of Christ with their children. Jesus Crist, like you, wants the best for your child.

Growing in God's Love
Your efforts will not only help your baby to grow up in the love of God: they will also help you to grow. As you teach your child to pray, you yourself will deepen your prayer; as you teach your child to appreciate the Mass, your own faith will be enriched. Your baby's baptism is only the beginning of a new life in which you will grow closer to one another in the family and closer to God. The Church welcomes your child into its midst with love and prayers for the future peace and happiness of your family in the years ahead.


How the Church sees Baptism
The Church sees Baptism as the first important step on the Christian journey. On the day your child was born, he/she was welcomed into their family. On the day of baptism, they are welcomed into the bigger family of the Lord, the Church. In baptism we enter into a unique and special relationship with the person of Jesus Christ, and we try to live out that relationship in and through the people around us. Or put another way … In Baptism we become

• A son/daughter of God the Father
• A brother/sister of Jesus Christ
• A temple of the Holy Spirit
• A member of God’s family, the Church.

Celebrating the Sacrament of Baptism in St Patrick's Parish