Baptism during Lent?

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We are expecting our first little one sometime around Ash Wednesday, and I know that our families and friends may not be able to get down to where we live for a few weeks… which puts us into Lent. Is it liturgically correct to baptize during Lent, or should we try to hold off until Easter Vigil?

Opinions please!
 
babies are generally not baptized at the Easter Vigil, because the service is so long, which is not to say you could not do it if the priest is willing. There is no law that says babies may not be baptized during Lent. If your parish gives you a hard time about it, contact the bishop. Baptism should be done as soon as reasonably possible after birth, and I would not allow the convenience of relatives to delay it unduly.
 
My nephew was baptized on Palm Sunday!

If I were the parent and the baby were due around Ash Wednesday, I would not consider it too long to wait 5-6 weeks for Easter to come around. But that is just I how am. Others may differ.
 
AaA has a post on this. As the first reply stated, there is no law against baptism during Lent. It is a popular misconception, much like removing holy water from the baptismal font.
 
In fact, such a practice is contrary to Church Law

Canon 867 states that “parents are obliged to see that their infants are baptized within the first few weeks.”

That’s pretty hard to do if their pastor refuses their child Baptism.
 
In fact, such a practice is contrary to Church Law

Canon 867 states that “parents are obliged to see that their infants are baptized within the first few weeks.”

That’s pretty hard to do if their pastor refuses their child Baptism.
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Clearly, the clause “within the first few weeks (infra priores hebdomadas)” is not too specific. Many folks, myself included, would consider 4-6 weeks within that time frame. Now if the infant is ill, then that would be too long.

Interestingly, the very next sentence of that same canon 867 directs parents to see the pastor “as soon as possible after the birth or even before it (quam primum post nativitatem immo iam ante eam).” While I think most here would agree that going prior to the birth is advisable, the canon clearly gives them the option to do so immediately afterward. Since most parishes seek a month’s notice for baptismal preparation of parents and sponsors, this goes back to that 4-6 week figure.
 
Thanks for your good advice, everyone!

Just for the record, I have not yet spoken to my pastor about this… He has been in Rome! When he gets back , we can talk to him about it. I had even thought of the possibility of having our baby baptized right away. We are still in the earliest stages of planning this, so we have lots of time to research and find the best overall time frame.
 
Our priest doesn’t baptize during Lent. He drains the baptismal font and all the holy water fonts since he says it is a ‘barren time’. Is this correct??
 
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Elzee:
Our priest doesn’t baptize during Lent. He drains the baptismal font and all the holy water fonts since he says it is a ‘barren time’. Is this correct??
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This is what happens at our parish too. Talking about this topic led me to wonder about the following: During Lent is it OK for us to bless ourselves at home? A lot of us have holy water fonts in our homes. Just curious if that would be permitted or not? I mean, the holy water is drained out of the baptismal font and all of the rest of the fonts, should it also be drained in our homes during this time?
 
40.png
Elzee:
Our priest doesn’t baptize during Lent. He drains the baptismal font and all the holy water fonts since he says it is a ‘barren time’. Is this correct??
Click to expand...
While the RCIA envisions the baptism of adults at the Easter Vigil, there does not seem to me to be any basis in canon or liturgical law to deny the sacrament to infants whose baptism is otherwise licit. This has been discussed by other posters. Recourse against this can be presented to the diocesan bishop.

Emptying the fonts of holy water during Lent is not permitted and represents a poor theological understanding of what Lent is.

Consult catholicliturgy.com/index.cfm/FuseAction/LawText/LawIndex/46 which produces a response from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on this matter…
 
:confused: When this this come around??? I was born in 1956, born on March 2 and Baptized 2 weeks later. It was definately during Lent. My own children were born in June, late April and November so I never had a child Baptized during Lent. But my son was Baptized (Nov.) during Advent, without a problem, as was my Little sister who was Baptized (born Dec.12,1977) on Christmas Eve (an early afternoon Service long before the Christmas Masses began)
 
It’s part of a weird understanding of Lent that seems to be permeating the Church.

For some reason, the actual forgiveness of sin doesn’t seem to factor into the penitential season. Every other Catholic in the Church is expected to receive Sacramental Absolution during this time, except for infants. They have to wait.

I find that same parishes that ban Lenten baptisms are also the ones that empty the holy water fonts (in violation of a Vatican directive)

They think that by denying a sacramental reminder of Baptism, in fact all Baptisms at all, it creates a ‘longing’ for the Baptisms that occur at Easter Vigil.
 
I thought that Sundays, being Feast Days, did not count as days of Lent. Wouldn’t it be possible to Baptize on Sunday?

ILO
 
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