Baptism in garage

[Maxirad]

When I was ten years old, I witnessed a baptism that took place in a residential garage. A Catholic priest can’t perform a baptism in a garage, can he? I can’t say that the minister who did the baptism in the garage when I was ten was a Catholic priest.

 

[Orogeny]

A baptism can be performed anywhere as long as it has the proper form, matter and intent. In fact, a priest is not even necessary.

Peace

Tim

 

[L_Marshall]

Tim is right. All that is required for the Sacrament of Baptism is that person has water at least poured on them (not only holy water, and immersion counts too), and that anyone (does not even need to be a Christian) used the formula “I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” (or a translation thereof).

 

[Joe_5859]

This is all that is required for Baptism to be performed validly. What makes for a licit Catholic Baptism is a whole different story. All that is necessary for a Baptism to be celebrated licitly in the Catholic Church (which would consequently also be valid) is outlined in the Code of Canon Law.

A priest could not licitly baptize someone in a garage unless they were in danger of death. The ordinary place for Baptism to be celebrated is within a Church.

I’m not sure what good it does to dwell on such long ago happenings of which the information is uncertain.

 

[jritenour]

I remember hearing of a guy at work baptizing another in the washroom in the back. The guy doing the baptizing was a Church of Christ ministerial student. The guy being baptized… well, let’s just say he became a believer that day. He was baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. So, I think even that is valid. I look at it like this… if you become a believer, your very next step as soon as possible is to be baptized … that’s a command and the person being baptized should respond to that command. Baptism can have a lack of form so to speak and still be valid. Of course, if you can, you should be baptized in a church (preferably a RC Church by a RC priest ).

 

[1ke]

Catholics, and Catholic priests/deacons, must follow Church law. The ordinary location for a Catholic baptism is the parish church. Some extraordinary circumstances can include baptism in other locations or by other than a deacon or priest.

Non-Catholics are not bound by Catholic law. If they baptize with the pouring or immersion in water in the name of the Trinity, then they are validly baptizing regardless of location.