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Sacrament of Baptism

What is Baptism?

Baptism is the way out of the kingdom of death into life, the gateway to the Church, and the beginning of a lasting communion with God.  (YouCat 194)

Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), 1213: Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other Sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water and in the word.”

1253 Baptism is the sacrament of faith. But faith needs the community of believers. It is only within the faith of the Church that each of the faithful can believe. the faith required for Baptism is not a perfect and mature faith, but a beginning that is called to develop. the catechumen or the godparent is asked: “What do you ask of God’s Church?” the response is: “Faith!”

CCC 1277: Baptism is birth into the new life in Christ. In accordance with the Lord’s will, it is necessary for salvation, as is the Church herself, which we enter by Baptism.

1279: The fruit of Baptism or baptismal grace, is a rich reality that includes 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. By this very fact the person baptized is incorporated into the Church, the Body of Christ, and made a sharer in the priesthood of Christ.

1280: Baptism imprints on the soul and indelible spiritual sign, the character, which consecrates the baptized person for Christian worship. Because the character Baptism cannot be repeated. (cf. DS 1609,  and DS 1624.)

Archdiocese of Denver, Pastoral Handbook:

5.2.1.2. In the case of infant Baptism, parishes are to provide a catechetical program of instruction for parents and godparents preceding the Baptism. This proper instruction of parents and godparents includes, but is not limited to: the meaning of Baptism and the obligations which are attached to it, the scriptural foundation for the sacrament, the sacramental life of the Church, and the rite of Baptism itself.

5.2.1.3. To provide sufficient time for their instruction and the choosing of appropriate godparents, parents are to be encouraged to prepare prior to the birth of their child.

5.2.1.4. A record should be maintained in parish files of those who attended the classes. Catholics in good standing with the Church would not be required to take this instruction again for at least two years.

Choosing Godparents:

5.2.6. Godparents Pastors are responsible to ensure that the Christian faithful are aware of the requirements concerning godparents (see canons 872, 873, 874).

5.2.6.1. In view of the ecclesial and educational role of godparents and sponsors, only Catholics who are fully initiated into the Church, mature enough to accept publicly the teaching of the magisterium of the Church, living a life consistent with the faith, and who are not bound by any canonical sanction, may be permitted to act as godparents at a Catholic Baptism or as a sponsor at one’s full reception into the Church. A baptized believing non-Catholic may be admitted along with a Catholic godparent to serve as a witness of the fact of Baptism (General Introduction, Christian Initiation [“CI”] 10).

5.2.6.2. There may be either a godfather and godmother, or one godparent of either gender. If there is one godparent and one sponsor or witness, they may be of the same gender.

5.2.6.3. If invited and if the other church or the ecclesial community permits, a Catholic may act as a witness to the fact of Christian Baptism in a non-Catholic Christian Church or ecclesial community. A Catholic may not be a godparent or a sponsor in a Baptism within a non-Catholic Christian community (Directory on Ecumenism, 57)

Please contact the Parish office: 970.887.0032 for more information and to schedule an appointment.

Bishop Robert Barron on Baptism