Baptism and marriage

[dreaming78]

My husband and I married in a civil ceremony. We planned (and still plan) to receive the Sacrament of Matrimony. We’re now expecting a child, due in April, and we will not be marrying in the Church until December at the earliest.

Will we need to wait until after we marry in the Church to have our child baptized? That would make our child nearly a year old, if not more, at such time as the baptism would occur.

Not sure what the situation is. Can anyone enlighten us?

Beth

 

[stbruno]

My wife and I do baptism prep in our parish. We always ask the people who present their child for baptism what their marital status is but we also include this sentence, irregardless of the state of their marriage, their child may be presented for baptism. The requirement however is, that the parents intend to raise their child as a Catholic, fully intending for them to continue to receive instruction in the church and also receiving the other sacraments.
On selection of their godparents, remember canon law requires the godparents to be at least 16 years of age, and have received their Confirmation. We also invite the parents to convalidate their civil marriage in a Catholic ceremony, allowing them to fully participate in the reception of the sacraments.
Even though, you may not receive Holy Communion at Mass until your marriage is made valid in the Catholic church, we remind couples their are still obliged to keep the Lord’s day holy by attending mass. We also encourage them to bring their children to mass as well.
The best advice I can offer, is that you connect with your parish priest to find out more about the requirements for the reception of baptism at their church. The sacrament of initiation is so important for your newborn, so why delay what you fully intend to do? Graces are poured out upon your child when they are received into the Catholic church.
Happy New Year, and don’t delay your own reception into the Catholic church as a married couple. If you are saving for a reception, do it on your first anniversary as a Catholic couple, don’t make it a reason to delay your ability to be in full communion as a Catholic.

 

[puzzleannie]

can’t improve on this answer, go see deacon or pastor today and get the ball rolling on having your marriage taken care of and enroll in baptism preparation parent classes (you don’t have to wait until she is born). godparents, if married, must be married in the church, get some advice about choosing godparents, and they also attend prep classes. good luck.

 

[BHigbee]

Hi…I was wondering if someone could help me explain why we believe in having our children baptised as soon as possible. I am catholic but my husband is not…but we were married in the church and he is fine with raising our family catholic…recently we have had a little girl…she’s 3 months old now and hasn’t been baptised yet…she will be baptised in Feb. My husband doesn’t understand why I am making a big deal about her not being baptised sooner…and unfortunately I haven’t been able to explain it to him properly. I feel terrible because I’m catholic and I should know why I believe it’s important to have her baptised immediatly…but i’m not able to explain why.

 

[Verbum]

Hi BH__,

The reason we want our children to be baptized as soon as possible is simple : they may die before being baptized. (This of course is not as critical as it was in the days of high infant mortality.)

Now mind you, there is really no clear doctrine of the Church of as to what happens to children who have not been baptized. Some speak of “limbo”, a place where they might enjoy “natural happiness”.

But we know that a baptized person becomes an adopted child of God and heir to heaven. He/she is thus enabled to see God “face to face”, as St. Paul puts it.

Would we want our child to miss out on this?

Verbum

 

[puzzleannie]

Because as Catholics we submit in humble obedience to the laws of the Church, established by Christ to mediate his Presence on earth, and those laws clearly state that parents are to baptize their children as soon as possible, raise them and educate them in Catholic faith and practice.

 

[stbruno]

Question: How soon do we take our children to the doctor for wellness checkups? Answer: Shortly after birth in most cases, and we make sure that they are prevented from getting illnesses by vaccinating them as early as just a few weeks old. Well, baptism is a vaccination for our spiritual wellbeing. We die to sin, and are raised to the newness of life. We are born again into the spirit of God’s loving grace and mercy when we are baptized. If we as parents are not willing to risk our child’s physical health by depriving them of an injection that will ensure their wellbeing, why would we consider risking their spiritual wellbeing through the grace of baptism. Each time we receive a sacrament, we are meeting Christ. The same Christ who reminds us over and over again, He who who comes to me will receive eternal life.
Just as God gives us the gift of life, God wants to give us the gift of faith. Our families want that same dream also. By baptism, the gift of faith is like a seed planted in fertile soil. With the combined love, teaching and the example of our families and our larger parish family, that seed of faith will be nourished and will grow.What is happening, however, is not for an individual alone. The significance of Baptism affects the whole community of the worldwide Christian family. As a newly baptized Catholics, we will grow dependent on many people. That’s why so many of us have felt compelled to respond to worldwide disasters like the recent tsunami. Parents and Godparents need to share with their growing children the very important gifts of example, faith and love. I pray that God will strengthen them for this very important commitment.
Remember this, when you do have your child baptized, this is a sacrament of initiation not graduation. This is just the first step in your committment in bringing that wonderful gift from God your child, to the fullness of life. Because inevitably, someday, God will ask you what did you do with this wonderful gift I have given you.
Please also consider inquiring what you need to do to make your marriage a sacramental one in the church as well, so that you may also participate in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. God bless you!