Baptism is a significant step in the life of a family. It is the beginning of a journey of faith towards knowing and understanding the meaning of God’s love for us.

 

Baptism means to ‘immerse, plunge or dip'. Jesus himself was baptised or ‘plunged' in the river Jordan by John. The sign of the Holy Spirit was seen, and the Father's voice was heard, “This is my Son, the Beloved; in whom my soul delights.” (Matt.3:17)

 

The essential rite of Baptism consists of the priest immersing the baby or person in water or pouring water on his head, while pronouncing ‘I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.’

 

Baptism is conferred once and conveys a permanent sign that the new Christian is a child of God. It is the first of the three Sacraments of Initiation that mark the movement of new Catholics to full membership of the Church. Baptism is celebrated to begin the person’s movement to the reception of Jesus Christ in Eucharist as food for their journey. Likewise the Sacrament of Confirmation strengthens and seals the person as they continue to journey to receive the Lord’s Body and Blood from the Eucharistic table.

 

Celebrating baptism is more than a private family celebration. It is the sacrament whereby a person becomes a member of our Christian family and enters the Pascal mystery of Christ. To bring this out it is recommended that the sacrament be celebrated on Sunday, even at Mass so that the entite community may be present and hte necessary relationship between Baptism and Eucharist can be clearly seen.

 

At St Benedict’s we are delighted to baptise people who wish to become part of Christ’s Church on earth and thereby part of our faith family. Baptismal preparation occurs within the parish.

 

At St. Benedict’s there are a number of two processes for the reception of the Sacrament of Baptism depending on the age of the person wanting to be baptised:

 

 

Baptism of Children

 

The majority of Catholics are baptised into membership of the Church as a baby or child and grow up in an environment where the Church is always part of their lives.

 

The parish offers a range of programmes to facilitate to reception of babies, children and young people into the Church. The programmes up to the age of about 10 years old prepare children for the reception of the Sacrament of Baptism – the first of the three Sacraments of Initiation. The completion of the process of initiation is undertaken in the Sacramental Preparation Programme offered by the Parish each year.. For details of the  Sacramental Programme click here 

Please contact the parish as early as possible to ensure that the Preparation for the Sacrament of Baptism can be undertaken in a timely manner.

 

If you wish to explore baptism more please contact the Parish Office.

 

 

The majority of Catholics are baptised into membership of the Church as a baby or child and grow up in an environment where the Church is always part of their lives.

 

Some people, however, are moved by the Holy Spirit to consciously and freely seek to become part of the Catholic Church later in their life journey.

 

During the first centuries, the growth of the Church came very largely through the baptism of adults. In recent years, the Church has returned to many of these first century ceremonies for welcoming adults who seek baptism into the life of Christ.

 

This journey of faith, this period of reflection and discovery, and the ceremonies that accompany it have been brought together in a programme the Church calls ‘The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults' or ‘RCIA'.

 

 For details of the RIte of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) click here