St. Andrew Catholic Church
Saline MI 48176
734-429-5210
Revised
Who can have a child baptized at St. Andrew?
How old can my child be?
What does the Catholic Church require of parents?
What does the Catholic Church require of godparents?
What is the schedule for baptisms at St. Andrew?
How do I proceed to have my baby baptized at St. Andrew?
Anyone may request a baptism for their child. If you are not registered in a Catholic parish, you will be encouraged to register at St. Andrew or your local parish. (See What does the Catholic Church require of parents?)
Sometimes the child’s parents are members of another parish, but the child’s grandparents or other relatives are members of St. Andrew, and would like the baptism to take place here. In that case the parents must contact St. Andrew directly with their request. It is the responsibility of their home parish to prepare the parents. The parents’ home parish must send a letter of permission to St. Andrew.
The child to be baptized as “an infant” should be under the age of seven. If the child is older than that, they can be prepared for baptism through the Children’s Catechumenate. Contact the Parish Office to arrange for an older child’s baptism.
Preparation. Every parish is required to prepare parents in some manner before their child is baptized. Here at St. Andrew the parents are prepared through a combination of home study and personal visit with a member of our Baptism Preparation Team. This preparation usually requires 4-6 weeks to complete. The preparation may be fully or partially waived if the parents have had other children baptized in the past year or two.
Commitment. At the Baptism Rite, parents are addressed: “You have asked to have your child baptized. In doing so you are accepting the responsibility of training him/her in the practice of the faith. It will be your duty to bring him/her up to keep God’s commandments as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbor. Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?” Parents should already be demonstrating that they have a commitment to their faith and are practicing themselves what they want to pass on to their child.
Godparents are chosen to support the parents in the commitment the parents are making. Whereas most parents choose two godparents for their child, only one is required. At least one of your chosen godparents must be a fully initiated Catholic (has received the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation). They must be over the age of 16 and active in practicing their faith. They qualify as a sponsor. If a second godparent doesn’t meet this requirement of a sponsor, they should at least be baptized—a Christian witness. If two godparents are chosen, one is the godfather and one the godmother.
With a few exceptions a Baptism
Rite is scheduled at
The process begins with a phone call to the Baptism Coordinator at the parish office: 734-429-5210 x 106. During that first phone call, she will explain the process of preparation and scheduling, answer your questions as she is able, obtain from you the information the parish needs to record the baptism when it takes place, and how to begin the preparation. You may begin the process before the baby is born, but you should expect a minimum of 6 weeks before the baptism will take place. (See What is the schedule of baptisms at St. Andrew?)
If this is your first child to be baptized in a Catholic church or at St. Andrew Catholic Church, the preparation begins when you pick up the written materials. (See What does the Catholic Church require of parents? ) Shortly before your baby’s baptism date, someone will contact you to schedule a meeting at your convenience. At this “face-to-face” meeting, the team member will answer your questions, go through the order of the Rite in detail, and verify that we have the correct information to register the baptism. They will also talk about the commitment you are making as Christian parents to this child. All last minute details will be discussed at the meeting—when to arrive at church, how you will be seated, etc.