Baptism is the gateway to life in the Spirit and the door to the other sacraments: it frees a child from original sin, makes him or her a child of God and a member of Christ's Body, the Church, and marks the soul with a seal that can never be removed. The Church asks parents to have their infants baptized within the first weeks after birth, and to prepare themselves for it, because they and the godparents will speak for the child and promise to raise him or her in the faith. This guide walks through the ordinary parish practice in the United States.

What you need

• A call or visit to your parish office as soon as the child is born, or before
• One or two godparents who meet the Church's requirements (see the guide on choosing godparents)
• The child's birth certificate and, for the godparents, a letter or sponsor certificate from their own parish
• A white garment for the child and a baptismal candle (many parishes provide both; ask)

When to pray it

As soon as possible after birth. Canon 867 asks parents to see to it that their infants are baptized within the first weeks, and to approach the parish soon after the birth or even before it. Most parishes celebrate infant Baptisms on Sundays, either during Mass or in a separate celebration after it.

Steps

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   Step 1: Contact the parish early

   Call or visit your parish office as soon as you can, ideally during the pregnancy or in the first days after the birth. Ask when Baptisms are celebrated, what preparation the parish asks of parents and godparents, and what documents to bring. Baptism is ordinarily celebrated in the parish church of the parents (canon 857), so if you have moved, or have never registered, register now. If your child is ill or in danger, tell the parish at once: an infant in danger of death is to be baptized without any delay, and any person can do it (see the guide on emergency Baptism).

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   Step 2: Attend the preparation session

   Canon 851 asks that the parents of a child to be baptized, and those who will be godparents, be properly instructed on the meaning of the sacrament and the obligations attached to it. Most parishes do this in one evening session or a short series, sometimes with a video and a conversation with the priest, deacon or a catechist. Go with your questions: what the promises mean, why the Church baptizes infants who cannot yet believe for themselves (because faith is a gift given within the faith of the Church, and the child will grow into it), and what the parish offers families afterward.

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   Step 3: Choose the godparents

   A child may have one godparent, or one godfather and one godmother, and not more (canon 873). Each godparent must be chosen by the parents (or by the one to be baptized) and have the aptitude and intention for the role; be at least sixteen years old, unless the diocesan bishop has set another age or the pastor or minister judges a just exception should be made; be a Catholic who has been confirmed and has received Holy Communion, and who leads a life in harmony with the faith and with the role being undertaken; not be under any canonical penalty; and not be the father or mother of the one to be baptized. A baptized Christian who is not Catholic cannot be a godparent, but may stand alongside a Catholic godparent as a Christian witness. Choose someone who actually practices the faith and will stay in your child's life; the godparent's task, in the words of canon 872, is to help the baptized lead a Christian life in keeping with Baptism.

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   Step 4: Gather the documents

   Parishes typically ask for the child's birth certificate (to record the legal name, date and place of birth, and the parents' names in the baptismal register), the parents' contact and marriage information, and for each godparent a sponsor certificate or letter from the godparent's own parish stating that he or she is a practicing Catholic in good standing who has been confirmed. Ask the godparents to request this from their parish as soon as they accept; it can take a week or two. The parish will keep everything in its baptismal register, which is the permanent record your child will need for First Communion, Confirmation and marriage.

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   Step 5: Know the rite: reception, Word and prayers

   The celebration begins at the church door or the entrance. The celebrant asks the parents, 'What name do you give your child?' and, 'What do you ask of God's Church for your child?' The parents answer with the name, and 'Baptism.' He reminds the parents that in asking for Baptism they accept the responsibility of training the child in the practice of the faith, and asks whether they understand this; they answer, 'We do.' The godparents are asked whether they are ready to help the parents in this duty and answer, 'We are.' The celebrant, parents and godparents then trace the Sign of the Cross on the child's forehead. Scripture readings, a short homily and intercessions follow, ending with the invocation of the saints, a prayer of exorcism and an anointing on the breast with the oil of catechumens.

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   Step 6: Make the promises: renounce sin and profess the faith

   At the font the celebrant blesses the water (or, in Easter time, uses the water blessed at the Vigil). He then asks the parents and godparents, on the child's behalf, to renounce sin and profess the faith. To each of three questions beginning 'Do you renounce Satan?' or 'Do you reject sin?' you answer, 'I do.' Then to each of three questions of the Apostles' Creed▾, 'Do you believe in God, the Father almighty...? Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord...? Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church...?' you answer, 'I do.' The celebrant says, 'This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it, in Christ Jesus our Lord,' and all answer, 'Amen.' Then he asks, 'Is it your will that N. should be baptized in the faith of the Church, which we have all professed with you?' and you answer, 'It is.'

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   Step 7: The Baptism, the anointing with chrism, the white garment and the candle

   The celebrant immerses the child or pours water three times over the head, saying, 'N., I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.' At that moment your child is a Christian. He then anoints the crown of the head with sacred chrism, the perfumed oil consecrated by the bishop, as a sign that the child now shares in Christ, who is priest, prophet and king. The child is clothed in the white garment, the outward sign of Christian dignity, which the parents and godparents are asked to help him or her bring unstained into eternal life. A parent or godparent lights the child's candle from the Easter candle as the celebrant says, 'Receive the light of Christ,' and the parents and godparents are told the light is entrusted to them to be kept burning brightly. The rite ends with the Our Father▾, prayed by all, and blessings of the mother, the father and the whole assembly.

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   Step 8: Afterward: raise the child in the faith you promised

   Keep the candle and the garment; light the candle on each baptismal anniversary and tell the story of the day. Teach the child to make the Sign of the Cross and to say the Our Father▾ and the Hail Mary▾ as soon as he or she can speak. Bring the child to Sunday Mass from infancy, bless him or her at bedtime, keep the parish informed as you move, and, in a few years, enroll the child in preparation for first Confession and First Holy Communion. The promises you made were not a formality: the parish, the godparents and the whole Church made them with you, and will help you keep them.

Tips

• Do not wait for the perfect date or the perfect party. The sacrament is the point; the celebration can follow whenever the family can gather.
• If one parent is not Catholic, the child may still be baptized. Canon 868 asks only that at least one parent (or the person lawfully standing in for them) consents, and that there be a founded hope the child will be raised Catholic.
• If you are not registered at a parish, this is the moment to register. Baptism is normally celebrated in the parents' own parish church.
• Bring the godparents to the preparation session if the parish invites them; their promises are as real as yours.