Who Can Receive the Sacrament?

The Sacrament of Baptism is administered in a group setting on the first and third Sundays of each month at 1:45pm. On the weekends of Baptism of the Lord, Pentecost, the first weekend of August, and the first weekend of October, a maximum of two individual Baptisms may be administered at each of the following Masses: 5:00pm Saturday, and 10:30am Sunday. Required workshops for parents and godparents are held on the last Sunday of each month at 1:45 PM. It is recommended that parents and godparents attend the required workshop prior to the birth of the child. Godparents must be registered, practicing Catholics who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation and are at least 16 years old.

Adults are received into this sacrament through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Please contact the RCIA Director or one of the parish priests for information.

Planning a Baptism

Things to Do Before Your Child is Born

• Contact the Baptism Coordinator to schedule a Baptism Preparation Workshop.
  
  • Before scheduling a baptism, both parents of the child must attend a Baptism Preparation Workshop (unless you have attended such a Workshop within the past two years).
  • If sponsors (godparents) have already been chosen, they, too, are encouraged to attend. Sponsors (godparents) should be a man and a woman you can depend on to help you teach your child the morals, values and truths of the Catholic Faith. (Please see below for additional information about sponsors.)
  • The purpose of the Workshop is to explain the meaning of Baptism in the Church today, as well as walk through the ceremony so that all involved will know what to expect the day of the baptism.
  • The Workshop at St. Joseph York is held on the last Sunday of each month at 1:45pm, and lasts about an hour and a half.
  • Workshops are conducted by volunteer lay couples of the parish along with a deacon or a priest.
  • If the parents are attending a preparation class elsewhere, a Certificate of Completion is required before the Baptism can be scheduled.
• Consider what name you will give your child. It is suggested you name your child after a saint—a saint whose exemplary and holy life will be an example to your child; and a saint to whom you can rely on for praying and interceding for your child throughout his or her lifetime.
• Consult with a priest if any of the following pertain to you:
  
  • Parents are not married
  • Father is not involved
  • Mother is not involved
  • Child was adopted
  • Child was baptized in the hospital

Sponsors (Godparents)

This couple has a very special and important responsibility; therefore:

• Each sponsor (godparent) should be Catholic, fully initiated, registered and practicing in his or her local parish.
• Each sponsor (godparent) must be of opposite sex (one man and one woman).
• If not registered members of St. Joseph York, a Certificate of Eligibility to be a Catholic Sponsor is required for each sponsor (godparent) from his or her home parish.
• It is acceptable to have just one sponsor (godparent), so long as he or she meets the criteria listed in the first and third bullet point above.
• It is also acceptable to have one Catholic sponsor and one Christian Witness.
  • The Christian Witness must be registered and practicing in his or her own Christian faith.
  • The pastor of that church must verify the Christian Witness is a member of that church in writing.
• If a person was baptized Catholic but either no longer practices Catholicism or has joined another church, he or she is not eligible to be a sponsor or a Christian Witness.
• If either sponsor(s) and/or Christian Witness is unable to attend the Baptism, a proxy can stand in his or her place.
  • The same required documentation listed above also applies to any proxy.
  • Documentation would be required for all sponsors, Christian Witnesses and proxies.
• Please Note: Worthy means having a quality of importance, value and merit, and being held in high esteem. The Church is not saying a person is “not worthy” of teaching your child to be a good person; nor is the Church judging the person’s character or decisions. The Church is simply saying the person is not eligible—does not meet the stipulated requirements—to be a Catholic Sponsor or Christian Witness for baptism. For example: Though Shaquille O’Neal is valued as a great basketball player and may be a great guy, it does not make him eligible to play for the WNBA.

Things to Do After the Workshop

• Attain the required documentation for your child’s sponsors (godparents).
• Submit the sponsors’ (godparents’) documentation to the Parish Office.
• Submit any other necessary documentation to the Parish Office as follows:
  • If your child was adopted—Copy of the child’s Birth Certificate and Adoption Decree;
  • If you are not married to the child’s other parent—Copy of the child’s Birth Certificate;
  • If your child was baptized in the hospital—Copy of the Baptismal Certificate
    • If your child was baptized at York Hospital and you do not have a Baptismal Certificate, contact St. Mary’s Parish at 309 S. George St., 717-845-7629 to request a copy.
    • Note: A person is baptized only once. If your child was baptized in the hospital, he or she will not be “baptized again”, nor will the witness(es) change. We can, however, offer to “supply the Ceremony”, where your child would be blessed and family members can participate. If the godparents you have chosen were not the witnesses of the baptism in the hospital, they would be godparents in name only. The official records of the Church can not be changed.
  • If you are registered in another parish but requesting the Baptism at St. Joseph York—A letter of permission from your home pastor addressed to the pastor of St. Joseph York.

Scheduling the Baptism

After having attended the Workshop and after submitting any and all required documentation, contact the Baptism Coordinator to schedule your child’s baptism.

• Baptism Dates:
  • Baptisms are held the first and third Sundays of each month at 1:45pm.
  • Up to six children can be baptized at the same ceremony.
  • There are four times a year when up to two children can be baptized at either the 5:00pm Saturday Mass or the 10:30am Sunday Mass. Please check with the Parish Office about available dates if you are interested in having your child baptized during one of these Masses.
• If there is an extraordinary reason to schedule the baptism on a different date, contact the pastor and/or one of the priests directly to discuss your situation and to make arrangements.
• If you are requesting a visiting priest or deacon to baptize your child at St. Joseph York, you must contact the following people:
  • The priest or deacon planning to baptize your child;
  • The Facilities Scheduler of St. Joseph York to reserve the church on the date and at the time the visiting priest or deacon has agreed to;
  • The pastor of St. Joseph York, to request permission. Be prepared to give him the following information:
    • Name of the visiting priest or deacon;
    • The date and time the Facilities Scheduler has reserved for you.
  • The Baptism Coordinator, to provide all of the above.

After the Baptism

• A Certificate of Baptism will be mailed to you the week following the baptism.
• When you receive the Certificate, be sure to look it over carefully and contact the Baptism Coordinator promptly if there is an error.
   

Useful Links & Downloads

• Click here to read about the Sacrament of Baptism.
• Click here to download the Baptismal Planning Guide.

Contact

Binky Theodore

Parish Secretary/Baptism Coordinator

Theodore@sjy.org

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