Baptism-water on the chest?

[LDNCatholic]

Hi all,

Have asked this in the AAA section but I know they are busy so I’m not holding out hope on an immediate answer.

My sister is having her son baptised. Our priest has said that baptism now takes place by pouring (or sprinkling) the water on the child’s chest, rather than head.

I wanted to know if this is a valid baptism.

My sister is no longer a practicing Catholic, has no intention of attending Mass (not even on the day of his baptism) and is expecting her second child out of wedlock. She is, however, more than happy to have the child baptised and wants him to go to church with me and my mother, who are both practicing Catholics.

Does this affect the validity of the baptism in any way?

Thanks in advance and God bless.

Peter

 

[Phemie]

Hi all,

Have asked this in the AAA section but I know they are busy so I’m not holding out hope on an immediate answer.

My sister is having her son baptised. Our priest has said that baptism now takes place by pouring (or sprinkling) the water on the child’s chest, rather than head.

I wanted to know if this is a valid baptism.

My sister is no longer a practicing Catholic, has no intention of attending Mass (not even on the day of his baptism) and is expecting her second child out of wedlock. She is, however, more than happy to have the child baptised and wants him to go to church with me and my mother, who are both practicing Catholics.

Does this affect the validity of the baptism in any way?

Thanks in advance and God bless.

Peter

There has been no change, water is poured on the head. There is an optional anointing on the chest with the Oil of Catechumen that is part of the ritual. Could your sister have misunderstood?

 

[LDNCatholic]

There has been no change, water is poured on the head. There is an optional anointing on the chest with the Oil of Catechumen that is part of the ritual. Could your sister have misunderstood?

Possibly, I will ask for clarification in the morning, but she seemed to have understood quite clearly. I asked her if she was sure, and she said that our priest had said that is how all the children are baptised.

 

[Phemie]

Possibly, I will ask for clarification in the morning, but she seemed to have understood quite clearly. I asked her if she was sure, and she said that our priest had said that is how all the children are baptised.

I’d challenge the priest on that one. I’d also ask what formula he uses when he baptizes.

In our parish we give parents the choice between immersion and pouring but in each case the head is wet.

 

[LDNCatholic]

I’ll ask my sister tomorrow. If she confirms that the water will be poured on the child’s chest I will speak to the priest about it. There are still a couple of weeks to go until the baptism is due to take place.

 

[NHInsider]

Are you the godparent? Given the mom’s apparently explicit intention to not be involved in raising the child in the faith, the godparent’s involvement will be key (in my parish it is almost certain this baptism would be refused on the grounds that the child would be committed to a faith he would not be raised in. . . .)

 

[LDNCatholic]

Are you the godparent? Given the mom’s apparently explicit intention to not be involved in raising the child in the faith, the godparent’s involvement will be key (in my parish it is almost certain this baptism would be refused on the grounds that the child would be committed to a faith he would not be raised in. . . .)

Nope. The child’s godmother is my cousin (a practicing Catholic), the godfather (if you can call them that) is the father’s friend. Baptised Catholic he may be, but not in good standing with the Church.

I have told her that I will pick the child up every Sunday for Mass and she seems happy for him to be raised in the faith, though she requires about the same level of cathechesis as her child right now.

Lately my sister has been warming to the faith again, but she is too stubborn to become active. She refuses Confession, doesn’t see the point in Mass attendance, yet has stolen my rosary because she thinks her house is haunted

 

[dans0622]

My sister is having her son baptised. Our priest has said that baptism now takes place by pouring (or sprinkling) the water on the child’s chest, rather than head.

I wanted to know if this is a valid baptism.

My sister is no longer a practicing Catholic, has no intention of attending Mass (not even on the day of his baptism) and is expecting her second child out of wedlock. She is, however, more than happy to have the child baptised and wants him to go to church with me and my mother, who are both practicing Catholics.

Does this affect the validity of the baptism in any way?

Peter

Hello Peter,

Nothing you have mentioned concerns the validity of the baptism but “sprinkling” is the closest to impacting validity since there can be some doubt as to whether or not any water touches the person’s body. In fact, sprinkling is illicit.

The Rite of baptism calls for water to be poured over the head, unless I am mistaken. I have never heard of what this priest said. It is quite strange.

Dan

 

[choy]

Can. 854 Baptism is to be conferred either by immersion or by pouring; the prescripts of the conference of bishops are to be observed.

i can’t find anything in Canon Law that says the water have to be poured on the head
it does say something about prescripts of the conference of bishops so i don’t know if that particular practice is allowed by the archbishop of the diocese

 

[LDNCatholic]

Panic over.

Talked to my mother, who I found out was at the meeting where the priest described the ceremony.

As Phemie suggested, my sister did mistake the anointing with the Oil of Catechumen with the pouring of the water.

Thanks everyone, and sorry to have wasted your time.

Now to find out about this sprinkling business and the very serious matter of my sister’s non willingness to practice the faith she intends her son to be raised in.

Much easier

 

[puzzleannie]

praying that the baptism of this child and the resulting outpouring of grace on this family leads to the reconciliation of the parents with the Church. God bless OP and the other good Catholic witnesses who surround them with Christ’s love and an example of living in Him.

 

[LDNCatholic]

Valid point.

I have seen her warming to the faith gradually. She has picked a very modest dress for the baptism after being told about modest dress (a very surprising event if you knew my sister). I hope that her child being baptised will prompt her to slowly return to the faith.

How’ve you been by the way? I see you’ve moved back to Ireland?

 

[angelic06]

Lately my sister has been warming to the faith again, but she is too stubborn to become active. She refuses Confession, doesn’t see the point in Mass attendance, yet has stolen my rosary because she thinks her house is haunted

If I may briefly touch on the haunted house part w/o derailing the thread: if your sister believes her house is haunted, then it is all the more important to speak to her priest—maybe if she is open to it, the priest could bless the house?

I assume she actually prays the rosary, as opposed to keeping it as a lucky charm? She should remember that it is not magic; it works only when we use it to keep our minds on our Blessed Mother and through her to her God-child, Jesus Christ and God the Father.

 

[LDNCatholic]

If I may briefly touch on the haunted house part w/o derailing the thread: if your sister believes her house is haunted, then it is all the more important to speak to her priest—maybe if she is open to it, the priest could bless the house?

I assume she actually prays the rosary, as opposed to keeping it as a lucky charm? She should remember that it is not magic; it works only when we use it to keep our minds on our Blessed Mother and through her to her God-child, Jesus Christ and God the Father.

She lives in a rented flat and has expressed a concern that once she leaves, the new tenants could get up to anything and she (understandably) doesn’t want to leave a blessed place for whoever to do whatever in.

She doesn’t know how to pray the rosary despite my best efforts to teach her. She recites the Lord’s prayer and the Hail Mary but for the most part I think it’s either a lucky charm or (hopefully) a reminder of the presence of God (it is blessed after all).

On an interesting side note her son has taken the rosary so often she now hangs it in his room. She won’t sleep in a room without a blessed item so hopefully she will put two and two together and realise the part the faith plays in her life.