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Baptism
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Baptism starts our journey with our Lord, Jesus Christ.
In Baptism we are made adopted sons and daughters of God our Father. We are anointed as Priest, Prophet, and King.
There are two main paths for being Baptized.
1. Baptized as an infant (anyone under 7)
- An infant/toddler/young child who is Baptized must be presented by his or her parents and must have at least one Catholic Godparent, but preferably two (one male and one female). Godparents must be Confirmed; attend Mass regularly; if married, the marriage should be recognized by the Church; in good standing with the Church; and willing to support, teach, and form the parents and child to be baptized.
Preparations for an Infant Baptism- Parents must be registered members of a parish.
- Parents must attend a preparation class at SJN in order to understand the role that they are undertaking in Baptism.
To begin this process, parents should attend a Baptismal class with Fr. Glasgow. Classes are held the first Sunday of the each month after the 10:00 Mass in the church.
2. Baptized as an Adult (age 7 and up)
According to Canon Law, a person who has completed their 6th year (7th birthday) and older is considered an adult in the eyes of the Church. Thus, a person who is to be Baptized must make their own decision through prayer, formation (teaching) and guidance of the Holy Spirit. In Infant Baptism, the Bishop has delegated the celebration to priests and deacons, but in Adult Baptism, it is the Bishop who is the primary teacher of the preparation for those to be initiated into the Church. Because of this, the process is a little different.
For anyone who is 18 and older, St. John Neumann (and almost every parish in the Diocese of Manchester) has a program called the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults or RCIA. If you are interested in this process, please check out the RCIA page or give us a call at (603) 880-4689.
For those under 18, here at St. John Neumann we have small groups of students of similar ages. Throughout the year, there will be a number of classes forming the student and their family into the identity of the Catholic Church. Some of the classes will be for the whole family to attend and others will be just for the Baptismal students.
The general process for those under age 18 is:
- Attend the formation classes throughout the year.
- The child will have a Sponsor/Godparent (someone in good standing with the Church) who will be present as a mentor and attest to his or her desire to be Baptized.
- Attend the Masses that include special blessings.
- Attend the Rite of Election with the Bishop in Manchester.
- Receive Baptism, Confirmation and First Eucharist at the Easter Vigil Mass.
For more information on this Program, please contact our Fr Rob Glasgow at (603) 880-0825.