Becoming a Catholic. Privately.

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Hello, I am thinking of becoming a Catholic but am not keen on the idea of a public baptism. I I don’t even want Godparents. I would prefer a private ceremony featuring just me and the priest. Will the church accommodate this?
 
LNR said:
Hello, I am thinking of becoming a Catholic but am not keen on the idea of a public baptism. I I don’t even want Godparents. I would prefer a private ceremony featuring just me and the priest. Will the church accommodate this?
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You should speak with your priest about this. He is really the only one that can answer it. You will need one Godparent/Sponsor. 🙂
 
LNR said:
Hello, I am thinking of becoming a Catholic but am not keen on the idea of a public baptism. I I don’t even want Godparents. I would prefer a private ceremony featuring just me and the priest. Will the church accommodate this?
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Like the other poster said, you will need at least one God parent/sponsor.

This is needed for both baptism and confirmation.

God bless
 
LNR said:
Hello, I am thinking of becoming a Catholic but am not keen on the idea of a public baptism. I I don’t even want Godparents. I would prefer a private ceremony featuring just me and the priest. Will the church accommodate this?
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There may be pastoral reasons why the priest would accommodate you, but theologically speaking baptism is into the Body of Christ, a community, and so is not a “private” act.
 
I suppose I’ll just ask the priest and then perhaps find another if no luck locally. Strangely enough I even find it hard worshiping in public, always have. I don’t think this should prevent me joining the church. I am an unbaptized adult.

My local region was once the centre of Celtic christianity, and has a strong hermitic tradition.

Someone I know has become a hermit within the Catholic church - though they had to move to a different diocese to achieve that.
 
Actually, as an adult do I need a godparent? I think Godparents were only introduced when emphasis within church moved away from baptizing adults towards baptizing infants (who didn’t have their own voice).
 
Welcome to the Church! Apologies: I should have said that first:o

Godparents are witnesses on behalf of the Church
General Introduction of the Rite of Christian Initiation, paragraphs 8-10)
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  1. It is a very ancient custom of the Church that an adult is not admitted to baptism without a godparent, a member of the Christian community who will assist him at least in the final preparation for baptism and after baptism will help him persevere in the faith and in his life as a Christian.
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Q: Can a priest or deacon be the officiant and the sponsor?
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Yes. When the priest or deacon is the officiant and the sponsor, he designates a proxy for the godparent during the rite of baptism.
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LNR said:
Actually, as an adult do I need a godparent? I think Godparents were only introduced when emphasis within church moved away from baptizing adults towards baptizing infants (who didn’t have their own voice).
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I did in the Armenian Apostolic church. I would recommend just having a couple good friends you trust and who are supportive be there. Chose a good Catholic who won’t be intimidatingly serious but loves the Lord for a godparent. It you quietly tease the living daylights out of the person, the humor helps it go by better-inject humor into the situation.

If however you are converting for Orthodoxy, ignore everything I just said. 😉
 
LNR said:
I suppose I’ll just ask the priest and then perhaps find another if no luck locally. Strangely enough I even find it hard worshiping in public, always have. I don’t think this should prevent me joining the church. I am an unbaptized adult.

My local region was once the centre of Celtic christianity, and has a strong hermitic tradition.

Someone I know has become a hermit within the Catholic church - though they had to move to a different diocese to achieve that.
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I understand your thoughts better now with this post. I was just going to ask you why you would prefer things privately.

I hope that you can find a priest you can work with you on this.
Mary
 
LNR said:
Actually, as an adult do I need a godparent? I think Godparents were only introduced when emphasis within church moved away from baptizing adults towards baptizing infants (who didn’t have their own voice).
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There has to be some kind of witness, sponsor, yes.
 
LNR said:
I suppose I’ll just ask the priest and then perhaps find another if no luck locally. Strangely enough I even find it hard worshiping in public, always have. I don’t think this should prevent me joining the church. I am an unbaptized adult.

My local region was once the centre of Celtic christianity, and has a strong hermitic tradition.

Someone I know has become a hermit within the Catholic church - though they had to move to a different diocese to achieve that.
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Even Hermits have to make their profession to live as a hermit in public: youtube.com/watch?v=zS1_flnqM6Y
 
LNR said:
I suppose I’ll just ask the priest and then perhaps find another if no luck locally. Strangely enough I even find it hard worshiping in public, always have. I don’t think this should prevent me joining the church. I am an unbaptized adult.

My local region was once the centre of Celtic christianity, and has a strong hermitic tradition.

Someone I know has become a hermit within the Catholic church - though they had to move to a different diocese to achieve that.
Click to expand...
I thought that anyone could baptize anyone as long as they did it right.

I guess that if you do it in total privacy, just you and one other, that you wouldn’t have certification for membership in any Christian Church including the Catholic Church, but if you just want to indicate to God your obedience to the Gospel and you’re not interested in the Community of believers I am pretty sure that anyone can baptize you.
 
LNR said:
Hello, I am thinking of becoming a Catholic but am not keen on the idea of a public baptism. I I don’t even want Godparents. I would prefer a private ceremony featuring just me and the priest. Will the church accommodate this?
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I know I am Anglican but one of our choir members when they first came and was ready for confirmation he backed out as didn’t want as you say and I think he got stage fright and all the rest of it and eventually the priest organised it so the Bishop at the time went to his home and confirmed them there. He’s mature and not young. So I would say even in the RCC it be possible and if you are adult then possibly wouldn’t need Godparents as you are fully grown into making the right decisions anyway but may find you want a Catholic Sponsor just so you can ask questions you feel you can’t ask the priest or just that friend. You will need to speak to the priest first though:thumbsup:
 
You already have the baptism of desire, so please do not be anxious.

My great grandmother, the strongest Catholic from the family, came from Swansea, Wales.

The Church is public witness of Jesus Christ to the world. But there are many here who seek the hidden life, the contemplative life. Yes, speak to a priest by you who will guide you.

Don’t be anxious, it will all work out for you.

May God bless you with His peace.
 
LNR said:
Actually, as an adult do I need a godparent? I think Godparents were only introduced when emphasis within church moved away from baptizing adults towards baptizing infants (who didn’t have their own voice).
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For infants, it is the parents who ask on their behalf (voice), not the Godparents. The Godparents are responsible for helping to form the new Catholic in the faith. You still need a sp9onsor, someone who will help you to continue to grow in the faith after your Baptism, even as an adult.
 
You can do it very privately, but you do need a sponsor. Even my mother-in-law needed a sponsor; she was received into the Church at age 85. Her son was her sponsor.
 
Where I used to work, there was a downtown neighborhood Catholic church that had lunch-hour RCIA / adult education classes. Just for interest, I showed up … because I traveled a lot, I missed a lot of the classes and took the program two or three times so I could get all the lectures.

Anyway, about half the class was already Catholic … just interested in learning more … and the pastor asked us if we would mind acting as sponsors for those in the class that were not already Catholic.

At the end, there was a private ceremony for those interested in receiving Baptism or Confirmation in the church followed by coffee and cookies in the meeting room afterwards.
 
LNR said:
I suppose I’ll just ask the priest and then perhaps find another if no luck locally. Strangely enough I even find it hard worshiping in public, always have. I don’t think this should prevent me joining the church. I am an unbaptized adult.

My local region was once the centre of Celtic christianity, and has a strong hermitic tradition.

Someone I know has become a hermit within the Catholic church - though they had to move to a different diocese to achieve that.
Click to expand...
You may be able to find a priest to baptize you privately but I am more concerned about your remark about not worshiping in public. As a Catholic you will be obligated under pain of sin to attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Day. You can’t do that privately. Also you can’t just be a hermit. That requires formation and formal vows in front of a community and the bishop.
 
I can understand the desire to avoid the “pomp and circumstance”…

BUT

… at the same time, Catholicism is not something to be lived out privately. Part of baptism is that you are joining the community of the Church. As my own bishop told us a while back in a homily, “you can’t live your life as if you are functionally agnostic”.

The Faith is something that permeates into every part of your life, public and private. Otherwise, it just becomes a club that you joined and hang out at once in a while.
 
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