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A New Arrival
For most families
the birth of a new baby is a time of great happiness,
joy and excitement. Soon after the birth of the
baby the parents have an important decision to
make. They decide if they want their baby to be
baptised. Most parents want their baby baptised
though their reasons may be varied.
Some people want
their baby baptised because it is a family tradition,
some treat baptism as a social occasion, others
have their baby baptised because the family expect
it and there would be a family row if there was
no baptism, some people think baptism is a special
blessing which will safeguard their child on life's
journey. Reasons like these are not uncommon but
they are not good enough.
Beginning Of A Journey In Faith
Baptism is a
birth into the Christian community and it is in
every way as solemn and important as birth itself.
It is the beginning of a faith journey and this
is the most important journey we will ever make.
Baptism is a Sacrament that requires meaningful
preparation. The most important preparation for
parents is to reflect on their own faith, to examine
their commitment to the practice of the Catholic
faith in their daily lives. It is very unreasonable
to expect a child to grow up with a Catholic faith
if his/her parents are not trying to live as committed
Catholics themselves.
It is the faith
of the parents which brings the baby to Church.
Children are baptised because of believing and
practising parents, they have been born into and
are living in a Christian community. Baptism will
involve parents communicating Christian faith
and Christian values to their children.
Some things parents should know
before arranging for Baptism:
| 1 |
If
you live in another parish (or abroad) you
need written permission from the priest
of that parish to have the ceremony in St.
Oliver Plunkett Parish. |
| 2 |
You
need two and only two god parents (sponsors),
who should be practising Catholics. For
mixed marriages at least one god parent
must be Catholic, the other can be from
another Christian denomination. Sponsors
(god parents) must be 16 years of age or
over. |
| 3 |
If
a couple is not legally married the child
can only be registered with the father's
surname if it has been registered on the
child's birth certificate. Where this applies
parents are asked to bring the birth certificate
with them when they come for instruction. |
Getting Your Child Baptised
Parents
wishing to have their children baptised need to
contact the parish office Tel: 9032 0482 in order
to make arrangements to have their child baptised.
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