ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT CHURCH
5075 Harp Road
Santa Maria, California   93455
805-937-4555

 

WHAT ARE THE STEPS TO GET MY CHILD BAPTIZED?

1.         The first step is to come to the office to get an application or download the application from our web site at: www.sldm.org.  It is very important that you read all the information attached prior to seeing the priest or deacon. Also it informs you on regulations regarding choice of Godparents and the next steps for you to take as parents.

2.         Once you fill out the application and bring it to the rectory office, Father or a Deacon will call you. They will discuss the application with you.  If you live within the boundaries of another church, but want your child to be baptized at St. Louis de Montfort, you must get a permission slip from your parish.
           

1.  Parents and God-parents are required to take a baptismal instruction class. You must be told by the deacon or priest at the interview if you can attend the class, or by the secretary if your registration form is in order and there is no need for an interview.   Classes in English are on the 2nd Sunday of each month from 1-3pm in Modular 1, located to the rear of the parish hall.   Please park in the basketball court area.

Classes in Spanish are on the 2nd Monday from 7-9 pm in Modular 1 located to the rear of the parish hall.  You may park in the basketball court area.

4.         The Baptism class is good for 3 years.  (You will be given a card with the date you took the class.)  The baptismal registration is your ticket to the class.
 If you have god-parents from out of town, they may go to a class in their parish.  If their church does not have classes for baptism, they may request a letter from their pastor stating that they have been instructed into what are the duties of a God-parent.
           
5.         After you have taken the class, you may schedule your child’s baptism.  Baptisms in English are held on the 1st & 3rd Sundays at 1:00pm. 
Baptisms in Spanish are held on the 4th Sunday at 1:30pm.
You must call the rectory to set the date, do not just show up!

6.         Regarding a donation for the baptism: Catholics have an obligation to support  their parish with their “Time, Talent and Treasure.”  Your donation on the day of the baptism goes to the parish, not to the priest.

SOME LAWS OF THE CHURCH RELATED TO BAPTISM

To help you in making decisions related to your child’s baptism and to understand the process better, please read this page before filling out the application form and having your pre-baptismal interview with Father.

Canon 851.  It is necessary that the celebration of baptism be properly prepared.  Thus:

Canon 851.2 The parents of an infant who is to be baptized  and likewise those who are to undertake the office of sponsor are to be properly instructed in the meaning of the sacrament and the obligations which are attached to it; personally or through others, the pastor is to see to it that the parents are properly formed by pastoral directions and by common prayer, gathering several families together and where possible visiting them.
This is the purpose of the pre-baptism program in each parish. The class is designed, according to the guidelines of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, to prepare parents and godparents to understand the sacraments, especially Baptism and its celebration, to understand the history and meaning of each of the symbols used in the celebration, to offer suggestions for raising children as Catholic, and for living Catholic family life.

Canon 854. Baptism is to be conferred either by immersion or by pouring, the prescription of the conference of bishops being observed. St. Louis de Montfort parish uses both forms. Parents and the priest will make the decision of which form they would use.

Canon 856.  Although baptism may be celebrated on any day, it is recommended that ordinarily it be celebrated on a Sunday or if possible at the Easter Vigil.
Most of the baptisms at St. Louis de Montfort are on the 1st and 3rd Sundays in English and the 4th Sunday in Spanish. Private baptisms are not encouraged.

Canon 857.2 As a rule adults are to be baptized in their own parish church and infants in the church proper to their parents, unless just cause suggests otherwise.
Ideally, your child should be baptized in the church that he or she will be attending every Sunday with you until reaching adulthood and in which he or she will be celebrating First Communion, Confirmation, and going to confession. If you do not live within the parish boundaries of St. Louis de Montfort and are not registered here, you must bring to your interview a letter of permission from the parish in which you do live. We cannot baptize the children of other parishes without their own priest’s permission.

Canon 868.1 For the licit baptism of an infant it is required that:

1. The parents or at least one of them or the person, who lawfully holds their place, gives consent.  Normally, the “person who lawfully holds their place” is an adoptive parent with a final decree of adoption.
2. That there be a founded hope that the child will be brought up in the Catholic religion; if such a hope is truly lacking the baptism is to be put off in accordance with the prescriptions of particular law and the parents are to be informed of the reason.  This is one of the reasons for the interview with the priest. A “founded hope” generally is based on the lives of the Catholic parent(s), that they live like people of Catholic faith and are therefore likely to faithfully pass it on to the baptized children entrusted to them by God.

 

Sponsors (Godparents)

Canon 872. Insofar as possible one to be baptized is to be given a sponsor who is…together with the parents, to present an infant at the baptism, and who will help the baptized to lead a Christian life in harmony with baptism, and to fulfill faithfully the obligations connected with it.  The role of the sponsor is not just honorary; it is an office in the church with serious responsibilities and obligations to child, family, and church. The church has established qualifications for those nominated by the parents. Your godparents’ qualifications will be reviewed during your interview with Father.

Canon 874.1 To be admitted to the role of sponsor, a person must: the  word “must “ used  here does mean “must”;
874.1.1. be designated by the one to be baptized, by the parents or the one who takes their place or, in their absences, by the pastor or minister and is to have the qualification and intention of performing the role;
874.1.2. Have completed the (16th) sixteenth year, unless a different age has been established by the diocesan bishop or it seems to the pastor or minister that an exception is to be made of just cause;
874.1.3. be a Catholic who has been confirmed and who has already received the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist and leads a life in harmony with the faith and role to be undertaken;
The role of a “sponsor” in any organization is to present new members and to assist them in completing their initiation into the group. The sponsor is one who has completed the initiation process already. The three Sacraments of Initiation are Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation. To be a godparent, a person must have received all three of these sacraments and be living a Catholic life. The lifestyle of the proposed sponsor(s) will be discussed in the pre-baptismal interview.

874.1.1. not be bound by any canonical penalty legitimately imposed or declared.
One of the most common penalties is that imposed on those who identify themselves as members of the Church but who choose to live lives that publicly contradict the moral teachings and laws of the church: they may not receive the sacraments and they may not be appointed to the offices in the church (i.e., godparents) while the contradiction continues. Married sponsors must be married in the Church.

874.1.5. not be the father or the mother of the one to be baptized.

874.2 A baptized person who belongs to a non-Catholic ecclesial community may not be admitted except as a witness and together with a Catholic sponsor. This law makes it possible for a friend and family member who is a baptized Christian, but not a Catholic Christian, to have a special role in your child’s spiritual life. If there is one qualified Catholic godparent for your child, then you may propose a non-Catholic as a Christian witness, instead of having a second godparent.  The Church cannot oblige such a person to make the same promise as a Catholic godparents, to help you raise your child in the Catholic faith; such a promise would violate the witness’s conscience and beliefs. However, a Christian witness can witness to the more basic truths which all Christian churches do share. Catholics are either qualified to be godparents or not, they may not act as Christian Witnesses.

YOU MUST HAVE ADOBE READ TO OPEN THESE FORMS. CLICK HERE TO
INSTALL ADOBE READER.

Go to baptismal ONLINE form click HERE

To print a form in ENGLISH click HERE.

To print a form in SPANISH click HERE.