what is the purposes of the sacramental ceremony

This support should be ongoing throughout the family’s journey of faith. Godparents should be ready to commit the time and personal care to nurture and support the child and the parent(s). If the godparent is not a registered, active parishioner at Sacred Heart of Mary, they must provide a letter from the pastor of the parish where they do practice their faith stating that they are active, practicing Catholics, and are registered in that parish.Ī Christian of another tradition may be chosen as a Christian witness provided there is at least one Catholic godparent. A godparent may be either male or female, but must be a fully initiated Roman Catholic (baptized, confirmed, and receiving the Eucharist). It is customary to have two godparents however, only one is required for baptism. In the baptism of infants, parents take responsibility for choosing a godparent(s) who will serve as good examples for living the Catholic way of life. The baptism of your child is an opportunity to renew your baptismal commitment and celebrate the amazing gift of life that our God shares with us. To schedule a baptism and to make arrangements for a baptism preparation session, please contact the parish office by calling (479) 452-1795.īaptism is a beginning! While it can happen only once in a lifetime, it can be renewed over and over again in a person’s life. Baptismal preparation sessions will usually be held monthly for new parents. We know that this is not always possible, so please do not let time constraints prevent you from contacting us. We encourage you to schedule your child's baptism three months in advance. There is also the option of having the baptism after one of the weekend Masses.

For this reason, the Church suggests that baptism should be celebrated on Sunday so that the members of the parish community can be present. Just as the birth of a child is important to the entire family, so the baptism of the child is important to the entire parish family. For us as Catholics, baptism is the sign of our unity with Christ’s community and a witness to our desire to be part of the discipleship of Christ.

What is the purposes of the sacramental ceremony