In our parish communities — St Mary’s, St John Bosco and St Edward’s — Baptism is the joyful beginning of new life in Christ.
Baptism is the gateway to the Christian life and the first of the Sacraments of Christian Initiation.
It is not simply a naming ceremony, a family tradition or a beautiful occasion.
In Baptism, God truly acts.
Through Baptism we are freed from sin, reborn by water and the Holy Spirit, united with Jesus Christ, made children of God, incorporated into his Church and marked permanently as belonging to Christ.
What Baptism Is
New life in Christ
Baptism is a sacrament: a visible action through which Christ truly gives the grace he promises.
At the heart of the sacrament, the person is washed with water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
The water is not merely a symbol of something we hope might happen. Through the sacrament God gives new birth by water and the Holy Spirit.
Baptism gives sanctifying grace, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and a new life in Christ.
It also leaves an indelible spiritual character and can therefore never be repeated.
What Are You Asking For?
When parents ask the Church to baptise their child, they are asking for much more than a naming ceremony, blessing or family celebration.
They are asking that their child be baptised into Jesus Christ and his Church.
In Baptism, the child is freed from original sin, born again of water and the Holy Spirit, made an adopted child of God, incorporated into the Church and given the beginning of the life of grace.
For an infant, the Church celebrates Baptism in the faith of the Church and with the expectation that the child will be brought up in the Catholic faith.
Parents are therefore asking for a sacrament and accepting a responsibility:
- to bring their child to Sunday Mass
- to teach their child to pray
- to help them come to know and love Jesus Christ
- to prepare them for Confession, Holy Communion and Confirmation
- to raise them within the life of the Catholic Church
You do not need to be a perfect Catholic family before asking for Baptism.
But there must be a genuine intention that the faith given in Baptism will be allowed to grow.
In asking for Baptism, you are asking the Church to help your child begin a life with Christ.
Why does the Church baptise babies?
A baby has committed no personal sin.
Original sin means that every human being is born into a fallen human condition and needs the salvation and supernatural life which Christ gives.
The Church baptises infants because grace is a gift.
A child receives life, love and care before being able to choose them. In the same way, parents ask the Church to give their child the gift of new life in Christ and accept the responsibility of helping that faith grow as the child becomes older.
Parents, godparents and the whole Church then undertake to nurture the life begun in Baptism through prayer, Sunday Mass, the sacraments and Christian example.
Baptism begins a journey
Baptism is a beginning, not an end.
The grace received in Baptism is meant to grow throughout a person’s life through:
- prayer;
- Sunday Mass;
- the Holy Eucharist;
- Confession and conversion;
- learning the Catholic faith;
- charity and service;
- and life within the Church.
For a child, the home is normally the first school of faith.
Parents do not have to be perfect Catholics before asking for Baptism. What matters is a sincere desire for the sacrament and a real willingness to allow the Catholic faith to have a place in the child’s life.
If family practice has become irregular, Baptism preparation can be an opportunity to begin again honestly in faith, rather than pretending everything is already perfect.
Baptism of Infants and Young Children
How preparation works in our parish
The first step is a conversation with the parish priest.
We will talk about your child, your family, your connection with the parish and what you are asking for in Baptism.
Parents then receive our parish preparation book:
My Child’s Baptism
A Simple Preparation Book for Parents and Godparents
The book contains three short conversations, each taking about 15–20 minutes:
1. Baptism: New Life in Christ
What Baptism is, what grace it gives and why the Church baptises infants.
2. The Rite: Water, Faith and the Signs
What happens during the celebration and what the baptismal promises mean.
3. Living Baptism: Raising a Child in Faith
How parents, godparents and the parish help the life of grace grow afterwards.
Parents should work through all three conversations. Godparents should join them where possible; if they live elsewhere, they can be sent a copy of the book and work through the same material themselves.
There are no lessons to prepare and no examination to pass.
Read the short teaching, talk honestly about the questions, learn the essentials, pray together and take one small practical step.
Understanding and sincerity matter more than speed.
My Child’s Baptism
Parent and Godparent Preparation Book
DOWNLOAD THE BAPTISM PREPARATION BOOK
After the three conversations
The preparation book also contains:
- a step-by-step guide to the Baptism rite;
- guidance for parents and godparents;
- the requirements for a Catholic godparent;
- twelve essential things to understand about Baptism;
- a simple readiness review before the Baptism;
- a family rule of life;
- practical guidance for the day itself;
- and guidance about emergency Baptism.
Before the Baptism, there will normally be a final parish conversation to answer questions, check the practical arrangements and make sure that everyone understands the promises being made.
The purpose is not to test families.
It is to help parents and godparents ask sincerely for the sacrament and begin the Christian life of the child with confidence. The readiness review in the preparation book is explicitly a family review rather than a pass/fail test.
Parents and Baptism
By asking for Baptism, parents accept a real responsibility to help their child grow in the Catholic faith.
This means gradually making Catholic life part of ordinary family life through Sunday Mass, prayer, the sacraments, Christian teaching, forgiveness, charity and example.
The Church does not expect an idealised family situation or perfect religious practice.
The parish priest does, however, have to be satisfied that the Church’s conditions for infant Baptism are present, including the necessary parental consent and a founded hope that the child will be brought up in the Catholic religion.
If this is unclear, the response is a pastoral conversation rather than simply pretending there is no difficulty. We will work with you towards a genuine way forward.
Godparents
A godparent is not simply an honorary role or someone chosen because they are close to the family.
The godparent helps the parents and the baptised child to live a Christian life faithful to the grace and responsibilities of Baptism.
A Catholic godparent should ordinarily:
- be chosen because they genuinely intend to fulfil the role;
- be a Catholic who has been Confirmed and has received the Holy Eucharist;
- live a life of faith consistent with the responsibility;
- be at least sixteen years old, unless lawful provision or a just exception applies;
- not be bound by a canonical penalty;
- and not be the father or mother of the child.
One Catholic godparent is sufficient.
If two Catholic godparents are chosen, one is male and one female.
A baptised non-Catholic Christian may, in accordance with Church law, take part as a Christian witness alongside a Catholic godparent.
If you are unsure whether someone can act as a godparent, please ask before making firm arrangements.
Choose a godparent for the Christian life you hope your child will see, rather than simply because of family expectation.
What happens at the Baptism?
The priest or deacon will guide you through the celebration.
The rite includes the welcoming of the child, the Sign of the Cross, the proclamation of Sacred Scripture, prayer for the child, the renunciation of sin and profession of faith, Baptism with water, anointing with sacred chrism, the white garment and the baptismal candle.
At the heart of the sacrament, water is poured over the child or the child is immersed while the proper Trinitarian words of Baptism are spoken.
Parents and godparents publicly renounce sin and profess the faith of the Church.
These are not decorative words.
When you answer “I do”, you are professing the faith into which the child is being baptised and accepting responsibility for helping that faith grow afterwards.
The preparation book contains a complete step-by-step guide so that the celebration itself can feel familiar rather than confusing.
Baptism of Older Children
Children who have reached an age at which they can understand and respond personally to the faith require a preparation appropriate to their age and circumstances.
This is different from the preparation used for the Baptism of an infant.
Please contact the parish and we will arrange the appropriate pathway for your child.
Baptism of Adults
An adult who has never been baptised normally prepares for Baptism through the RCIA / Catechumenate.
This is a journey of faith, conversion, prayer, Catholic formation and participation in the life of the Church rather than simply a short Baptism course.
An unbaptised adult who is ready for Christian initiation normally receives Baptism, Confirmation and the Holy Eucharist together.
BECOMING CATHOLIC — RCIA / THE CATECHUMENATE
If you have already been validly baptised in another Christian Church or community, you are not baptised again. Please see our pathway for Reception into Full Communion instead.
After your child is baptised
The photographs, celebration and family gathering are important, but Baptism is intended to bear fruit for the rest of the child’s life.
The preparation book includes a simple family rule of life to help make faith part of ordinary life:
pray together · keep Sunday Mass central · bless your child · teach the basic prayers · tell Gospel stories · practise forgiveness · receive the sacraments · remain connected with the parish
As the child grows, the family and parish will help them prepare for First Confession, First Holy Communion and Confirmation.
When things become difficult, begin again.
Baptism is the beginning of a lifelong life of grace, worship, conversion and discipleship.
Interested in Baptism?
If you would like to ask for Baptism for your child, please contact us.
You do not need to have everything sorted out before getting in touch.
The first step is simply a conversation.
If you have been away from Mass, have a complicated family situation, are unsure about godparents or have another concern, please mention it. We would much rather talk openly and help you find a genuine way forward.
Where: St Mary’s, St John Bosco or St Edward’s
Contact: Fr John Owens — john.owens@dioceseofnottingham.uk
“You are God’s beloved child.
You belong to Christ.
You are part of His Body.”
That is what Baptism proclaims.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 