Baptism for Miscarriages

[lada]

They haven’t “done away” with Limbo, it’s still a possibility that can be held by Catholics.

Thank you for clearing that up for me.

 

[kristie_m]

Baptism of Desire.

Peace,

Gail

This is what I was told by my parish priest, also. If the parents’ intent was to baptize their baby after birth, then that qualifies as baptism of desire, and that baby is “covered”. I, unfortunately, had to learn of this the hard way. My heart goes out to anyone who deals with this.

 

[1ke]

Not all parents opt for burial of aborted (miscarried) babies. I miscarried twice. Once at 8 weeks, once at 12 weeks. It never occurred to me to have the remains buried. Now a still born baby would have been different, but I grew up in a time when a miscarriage was treated almost as something to be ashamed of – I was in my late teens before my mother told me she’d had a miscarriage in between the birth of my two brothers, it wasn’t ever a topic of discussion and that’s how she treated my two miscarriages.

Yes, I know not all parents opt for such a burial. But, the OP is making it sound like the Church will not bury them or have a funeral for them, which is just plain not true.

 

[puzzleannie]

Can someone tell me how the Church baptizes the unborn in case of a miscarriage? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

if their are any signs of life and even if that can’t be detected, the fetus should be baptized immediately, that has always been Church teaching. that can be done by anyone present, even a non-Catholic, and most nurses are trained to do it if the parents ask. There is also a rite for a funeral for a miscarried or stillborn child. The teaching on the eternal fate of a child who dies without baptism is and always has remained the same–we simply do not know, but entrust the child to God’s mercy, and there can be nothing more comforting than that trust.

 

[bpbasilphx]

**
Of course I wonder now, since they have done away with Limbo,**

**Limbo was never “done away with,” as it was never an article of faith.

It was a theological opinion–however widely held in the West–and nothing more.**

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

Though I don’t think it was the OP’s intent, I thought I would mention that a baby can be baptized in utero during the course of a surgical procedure when some portion of the child will be exposed outside the womb such that the water can flow over it. The head is the preferred part, but any part of the body will do. The Church still, I believe, requires that a child baptized in this manner be conditionally baptized after birth. Now on to some direct responses:

There is no Baptismal formual with “If you are alive…”, it is simply “I Baptise you…” God takes care of the rest. You don’t even have to wait or try to determine if the child is alive or not, simply do it.

I believe the conditional formula might actually be “If you are not already dead,” but at any rate there still has to be a conditional clause attached when it is uncertain whether the person is alive or dead, just like the priest must say “If you are not already baptized” when there is doubt about that. You cannot baptize absolutely when there is good reason to doubt the ontological possibility of doing such.

This is what I was told by my parish priest, also. If the parents’ intent was to baptize their baby after birth, then that qualifies as baptism of desire, and that baby is “covered”. I, unfortunately, had to learn of this the hard way. My heart goes out to anyone who deals with this.

Sadly, your parish priest may have had pretty poor seminary formation. Only those who have reached the age of reason can desire baptism, and then only for themselves. No one can achieve baptism of desire for another. The idea of baptizing one’s infant by desire was presumably invented to comfort grieving parents, but it’s unfortunately entirely false. My heart also goes out - I can’t imagine having lost one of my children before having them baptized - but all we can do is hold out God’s mercy; no more, no less.

 

[ComradeAndrei]

I believe the conditional formula might actually be “If you are not already dead,” but at any rate there still has to be a conditional clause attached when it is uncertain whether the person is alive or dead, just like the priest must say “If you are not already baptized” when there is doubt about that. You cannot baptize absolutely when there is good reason to doubt the ontological possibility of doing such.

Yes, in my Collectio Rituum, there is a conditional baptism formula for persons who are doubtfully alive. In English it is “If you are alive…” and in Latin it would be “Si vivis…”

Sadly, your parish priest may have had pretty poor seminary formation. Only those who have reached the age of reason can desire baptism, and then only for themselves. No one can achieve baptism of desire for another. The idea of baptizing one’s infant by desire was presumably invented to comfort grieving parents, but it’s unfortunately entirely false. My heart also goes out - I can’t imagine having lost one of my children before having them baptized - but all we can do is hold out God’s mercy; no more, no less.

Actually, look at Ott’s Fundamentals pg. 113-114 (sect. 25) and it gives ways in which babies might be able to be baptized by desire and blood. He also says that these ways cannot be proven from Revelation, but there is a theological possibility.

 

[ChristopherM]

They have these at one of the local E.F. parish’s
I Scanned it for you

I hope it helps

pgs 1&2
lostlambs.net/greg/mb1.pdf

Pg 3
lostlambs.net/greg/mb2.pdf

I get hits still from this post - but the files are no longer there -

Please use this new link to find the PDF I had posted.

How to Baptize in case of Miscarriage

 

[Leegal]

This is what I was told by my parish priest, also. If the parents’ intent was to baptize their baby after birth, then that qualifies as baptism of desire, and that baby is “covered”. I, unfortunately, had to learn of this the hard way. My heart goes out to anyone who deals with this.

I remember this too. Baptism of Desire. Sorry that you had to learn this at all.

God Bless.

 

[Nelka]

My Lord, the baby is dead!
Why, my Lord, dare I ask why? It will not hear the whisper of the wind or see the beauty of its parents’ face. it will not see the beauty of Your creation or the flame of a sunrise.
Why, my Lord?

“Why, My child, do you ask ‘why’?
Well, I will tell you why.
You see, the child lives. Instead of the wind he hears the sound of angels singing before My throne. Instead of the beauty that passes he sees everlasting Beauty, he sees My face. He was created and lived a short time so the image of his parents imprinted on his face may stand before Me as their personal intercessor. He knows secrets of heaven unknown to men on earth. He laughs with a special joy that only the innocent possess. My ways are not the ways of man. I create for My Kingdom and each creature fills a place in that Kingdom that could not be filled by another. He was created for My joy and his parents’ merits. He has never seen pain or sin. He has never felt hunger or pain. I breathed a soul into a seed, made it grow and called it forth.”

I am humbled before you, my Lord, for questioning Your wisdom, goodness, and love. I speak as a fool, forgive me. I acknowledge Your sovereign rights over life and death. I thank You for the life that began for so short a time to enjoy so long an Eternity.