“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
Baptism is necessary for salvation
Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
John 3:5
The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude; this is why she takes care not to neglect the mission she has received from the Lord to see that all who can be baptized are “reborn of water and the Spirit.” God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1257.
The grace of baptism
- 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
- Incorporation into the Church, the Body of Christ, and made a sharer in the priesthood of Christ
- Imprinting of an indelible spiritual sign, the character, which consecrates the baptized person for Christian worship. This indelible character means that Baptism cannot be repeated.
Original Sin: The sin by which the first human beings disobeyed the commandment of God, choosing to follow their own will rather than God’s will. As a consequence they lost the grace of original holiness, and became subject to the law of death; sin became universally present in the world. Besides the personal sin of Adam and Eve, original sin describes the fallen state of human nature which affects every person born into the world, and from which Christ, the “new Adam,” came to redeem us.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 396-412
Baptism at St. Francis of Assisi
- Be active in your faith! Believe in the Gospel.
- This is not a commitment to be taken lightly. Weekly attendance at Sunday Mass is necessary. Register as a parishioner if you have not already done so.
- Be reconciled with God and one another.
- Married Catholics are required to be married according to the rites of the Church. If you are not married in the Catholic Church, please set up a time to meet with Fr. James Conlon (frjames@stfrancisa2.org 734-821-2104)
- Attend an baptism preparation meeting.
- For parents of children under the age of 7: Meetings are normally held on the first Thursday of the month at 7pm.
- We recommend coming to a meeting before the birth of your child.
- If you took a class within the past 5 years at St. Francis or another parish (and can provide proof of attendance), you do not need to repeat it.
- Contact the Parochial Vicar to sign up for a baptism preparation meeting: 734-821-2105 frjohn@stfrancisa2.org
- For children over the age of 7: please sign up through Religious Education.
- For teens and adults: please see our page on the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults
- For parents of children under the age of 7: Meetings are normally held on the first Thursday of the month at 7pm.
- Choose suitable sponsors (godparents).
- A sponsor must be a Catholic who is at least 16 years old, received the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist), regularly practicing their faith, sacramentally married (if applicable), and willing to assist the parents in their duty as Christian parents.
- Only one sponsor is necessary, two are permitted. If there are two sponsors, one must be a man and one must be woman.
- If sponsors are parishioners of a different parish, they and their home pastor must sign and return this form to the parish office.
- Set a date
- Contact the Parochial Vicar. Baptisms in English are held at during most Sunday 12:30pm Masses and in Spanish at the Saturday 7pm Mass. We do not have baptisms during the season of Lent.