The ordinary ministers of Baptism are the bishop, the priest and the deacon, but the Church has always taught that in case of necessity anyone, even a person who is not baptized, can baptize, provided he or she has the intention of doing what the Church does and uses water and the Trinitarian formula (Catechism 1256; canon 861 §2). This is the Church's provision for a newborn in a hospital, an accident, or any situation where death is near and no priest or deacon can come in time. Learn it now, so that you can act calmly if the moment ever comes.

What you need

• Ordinary natural water (tap water, bottled water, sterile water in a hospital)
• The words: 'I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit'
• The intention to do what the Church does when she baptizes
• Afterward, the name and contact details of the parish where the Baptism should be recorded

When to pray it

Only in genuine necessity: danger of death when no priest or deacon can be reached in time. Outside such necessity Baptism is celebrated by the Church's ministers in the parish church.

Steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Know when it applies

   Emergency Baptism is for danger of death: a newborn who may not survive, an unbaptized adult who asks for Baptism as death approaches, an accident. Canon 867 §2 says an infant in danger of death is to be baptized without delay. For an adult, canon 865 §2 asks that in danger of death he or she have some knowledge of the principal truths of the faith, manifest in some way the intention to receive Baptism, and promise to observe the commandments; a dying person who asks for Baptism and assents to a few words about Christ is enough. Ordinarily the parents' consent is asked for an infant; but canon 868 §2 provides that an infant in danger of death is baptized licitly even against the parents' wishes.

2. 2

   Step 2: Get water

   Use natural water: from the tap, a bottle, a sterile container, a stream, melted snow. It need not be blessed. Warm it if you can for an infant, but do not delay for that. Have enough to pour so that it actually flows over the skin of the head; a damp finger is not sufficient. If the head cannot be reached, for instance in a medical situation, pour it on whatever part of the body is accessible and tell the parish, which will judge whether the rite should later be repeated conditionally.

3. 3

   Step 3: Pour the water on the head while saying the words

   Pour water over the person's head, three times if you can, one pouring for each divine Person, while you yourself say aloud: 'N., I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.' Use the person's name if you know it; the name is customary, not essential. The one who pours the water must be the one who says the words, and the words and the water must go together: one person cannot pour while another speaks. Say the formula exactly; 'in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit' is what the Church has always used and what Christ commanded.

4. 4

   Step 4: Intend what the Church intends

   You do not need to be able to explain the theology of Baptism. You need only to intend to do what the Church does when she baptizes, which is to say, to give this person Christian Baptism. The Catechism (1256) puts it plainly: anyone, even a non-baptized person, can baptize with the required intention. Keep the intention simple and clear in your mind as you act. If you are a believer, add a prayer afterward: the Our Father▾, the Apostles' Creed▾ on the person's behalf, or simply, 'Lord, receive your child.'

5. 5

   Step 5: Tell the parish afterward

   Canon 878 requires that when Baptism is conferred by someone other than the pastor and not in his presence, the minister must inform the pastor of the parish where it took place, so that the Baptism is recorded in the register. Write down at once the person's full name, the date, the place, the names of the parents if an infant, your own name, and the names of any witnesses. Then contact the local parish or, in a hospital, the Catholic chaplain, and give them this record. The register entry is what the Church will rely on for every later sacrament.

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   Step 6: Supply the remaining rites later

   The Baptism itself is complete and can never be repeated. What was omitted in the emergency, the anointing with chrism, the white garment, the candle and the rest, is supplied afterward by the parish in a short celebration that the Rite of Baptism provides for bringing a child who has already been baptized to the church. If the person recovers, contact the parish to arrange this and to name godparents. If the person dies, he or she died a baptized Christian, and the parish will arrange a Catholic funeral. In both cases, give thanks: you have done what the Church asked of you.

Tips

• If a priest or deacon can arrive before the danger becomes acute, call one; if there is any doubt about the time, baptize and call anyway.
• Do not delay to find a godparent, a candle or a prayer book. Water and the words are enough; everything else can be supplied later.
• A hospital chaplain, nurse or any bystander may baptize; so may a parent. Nothing in the person's own state (an unbaptized friend, a lapsed Catholic) invalidates the Baptism if the water, words and intention are right.
• If you are unsure whether someone was already baptized, canon 869 provides for conditional Baptism; in an emergency simply baptize, and tell the parish of your doubt afterward.