Baptism

[honeydew99]

I’m not sure how this works, so I’m just going to throw this out there. My 18 year old niece, who was never baptized, had a baby in July 2009. My former priest said the baby cannot be baptized until her mom (my niece) is baptized. Has anyone ever heard of an exception to this. My niece hasn’t started RCIA yet but hopefully will do so this fall.

 

[Trishie]

The Baptismof the baby’s

Perhaps this can answer some of your question.

God bless your niece and her little one.

 

[Trishie]

I have found this exception in the Catholic encyclopedia

newadvent.org/cathen/02258b.htm

Baptism with the consent of non-Catholic parents

Should a priest baptize the child of non-Catholic parents if they themselves desire it? He certainly can do so if there is reason to hope that the child will be brought up a Catholic (First Provincial Council of Baltimore, decr. x). An even greater security for the Catholic education of such child would be the promise of one or both parents that they themselves will embrace the Faith.

 

[bpbasilphx]

The whole justification of infant baptism is that the little ones are carried to the font on the authority of their parents’ faith.

If the parents have not been baptized, how can the priest be reasonably sure that the baby will be raised in a faith the parents have not yet professed?

 

[Benadam]

It’s possible that the parents don’t want the obsticles that are preventing them from full communion to be an obsticle that prevents their baby from full communion.

 

[diggerdomer]

The whole justification of infant baptism is that the little ones are carried to the font on the authority of their parents’ faith.

If the parents have not been baptized, how can the priest be reasonably sure that the baby will be raised in a faith the parents have not yet professed?

Exactly.

 

[puzzleannie]

I’m not sure how this works, so I’m just going to throw this out there. My 18 year old niece, who was never baptized, had a baby in July 2009. My former priest said the baby cannot be baptized until her mom (my niece) is baptized. Has anyone ever heard of an exception to this. My niece hasn’t started RCIA yet but hopefully will do so this fall.

the baby cannot be baptized unless and until the parents give assurance the child will be raised Catholic. Evidenctly the priest has determined there is little likelihood of this if the mother is not Catholic. He knows the situation, we don’t so it is his call if the baptism of the child is delayed until the parents give evidence of good faith, and becoming Catholic is the place to start. He is at fault if his parish does not welcome new people into RCIA all year round. This is the ideal time of year, Lent and Easter, to start.

 

[Alfred_Hili]

Most catholics have their babies baptised but later on in life, when they grow up, many of these slip away from the church; decide not to be practising catholics. That means that the parents decided for them to be baptised catholics but then when they grew up they changed their minds. How much more difficult would children belonging to non baptised persons find it later on in life to stick to their catholic faith!
We Catholics are bound to believe truth as defined by the Catholic Church in order to maintain the bond of faith. For this reason, I think it’s would be better if Baptism is administered to grown ups who can decide for themselves. But it’s not for me to decide that, of course.

 

[Seatuck]

Children who are baptized and raised Catholics under the protection of the Holy Spirit and empowered by His gifts have the best chance at being practicing Catholics.

Canon law requires that the Priest have a founded hope that a baby is going to be raised Catholic. When a parent is unbaptized and is not instructed on what it means to be Catholic there is little chance that they know what they would agree to if they gave the necessary permissions. In this case it is better to have the Mom catechized and instructed first. Then she can fully consent for herself and her child. Unless there is a well formed Catholic father in the picture we don’t know about who will undertake the religious instruction of the child.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

If the parent is going to raise a child in the faith, then the parent should also have evidence of living the faith.

One of the candidates in my RCIA program wants to have her daughter baptized. I talked with the pastor about it and he wanted to see that she was well on the way to being Catholic before he baptized the daughter. We’ve now scheduled both the candidate’s reception into the Church and her daughter’s baptism.

 

[thomas_jd]

The Baptismof the baby’s

Perhaps this can answer some of your question.

God bless your niece and her little one.

The site posted is erronous.Check the “Catechism of the Catholic Church.”

 

[thomas_jd]

I’m not sure how this works, so I’m just going to throw this out there. My 18 year old niece, who was never baptized, had a baby in July 2009. My former priest said the baby cannot be baptized until her mom (my niece) is baptized. Has anyone ever heard of an exception to this. My niece hasn’t started RCIA yet but hopefully will do so this fall.

I know of no execption. The priest defers baptism until a later date normally.
CCC 1231 #
“By its very nature infant Baptism requires a post-baptismal catechumenate. Not only is there a need for instruction after baptism, but also for the necessary flowering of baptismal grace in personal growth.”