Delay with Baby's baptism

[blujazz25]

Good day to everyone!
This will be just a brief and simple question based from my scenario. I am due on Feb. 11 of next year. We plan to baptize the baby in our home parish in another state as the god parents and my parents will be able to witness. My mom mentioned something about baptizing before travelling, is this a Catholic teaching or can we delay it until we grt to our home parish?

 

[1ke]

You don’t say how long you plan to wait after the baby’s birth to proceed with baptism. Your mother is likely worried about something happening to the baby before the opportunity for baptism. In general it is fine to schedule the baptism at a time/date/place when family and godparents can be present.

If there is an emergency, of course you must baptize your baby right away. Every Catholic should know the form for baptizing in an emergency. In such a situation, you could have your pastor supply the additional rites (anointing with chrism, white garment, candle, etc) at a later date with everyone in attendance.

Can. 867 §1. Parents are obliged to take care that infants are baptized in the first few weeks; as soon as possible after the birth or even before it, they are to go to the pastor to request the sacrament for their child and to be prepared properly for it.

§2. An infant in danger of death is to be baptized without delay.

 

[blujazz25]

I am due on Feb.11, we are planning to have the baptism on the first weekend of March.

 

[1ke]

I am due on Feb.11, we are planning to have the baptism on the first weekend of March.

That seems reasonable.

Talk to your pastor ASAP, that is during Lent and some parishes don’t do baptisms in Lent aside from emergencies.

 

[blujazz25]

That seems reasonable.

Talk to your pastor ASAP, that is during Lent and some parishes don’t do baptisms in Lent aside from emergencies.

Is it? yikes…we might go a little earlier then. When is ash Wednesday next year?

 

[1ke]

Is it? yikes…we might go a little earlier then. When is ash Wednesday next year?

It’s February 18. I doubt you’d be ready to travel a week after baby arrives! Talk to your pastor (and your doctor), then go from there based on what he says.

 

[blujazz25]

It’s February 18. I doubt you’d be ready to travel a week after baby arrives! Talk to your pastor (and your doctor), then go from there based on what he says.

Thanks. We will be talking to a close friend of ours who is a priest (same one who married us) and ask him about it. I was thinking of perhaps waiting until Easter to do it so baby has already the first set of vaccines at least for travel, but we don’t want to wait that long. My husband mentioned that parents are going to be in mortal sin if baptism is with held, does this count waiting until the baby is strong enough for it?

 

[Linusthe2nd]

Good day to everyone!
This will be just a brief and simple question based from my scenario. I am due on Feb. 11 of next year. We plan to baptize the baby in our home parish in another state as the god parents and my parents will be able to witness. My mom mentioned something about baptizing before travelling, is this a Catholic teaching or can we delay it until we grt to our home parish?

I think the baby should be baptized as soon as you can take it to Church. But ask your pastor.

Linus2nd

 

[coachdennis]

All good responses.

Now for the sarcastic response: After reading an entire weekend of responses on a thread about baptism classes, fees, stipends, etc. the obvious solution is for a Catholic priest to be present in EVERY delivery room and baptize that baby as soon as it is born whether the parents are Catholic or not. There, two problems solved – worrying about unbaptized babies dying and attending sacrament prep classes – all at once!

 

[1ke]

Thanks. We will be talking to a close friend of ours who is a priest (same one who married us) and ask him about it. I was thinking of perhaps waiting until Easter to do it so baby has already the first set of vaccines at least for travel, but we don’t want to wait that long. My husband mentioned that parents are going to be in mortal sin if baptism is with held, does this count waiting until the baby is strong enough for it?

Your husband is being scrupulous. Talk to your pastor and go from there.

 

[Usige]

One of the reasons some people encourage baptism before travel is incase there were an accident and the worst happen before the baby is baptized. We can trust in God’s mercy if that were to happen, but I still feel better once they have been baptised.

We always try to baptize our children in the first 10 days after they are born just because I would feel horrible if we put it off and something happened to them. My mom wasn’t able to be here for our youngest’s baptism, but we decided that receiving the sacrament as soon as possible was more important then who could be here.

 

[PhiloMed]

I am due on Feb.11, we are planning to have the baptism on the first weekend of March.

We had the Lent issue also. My daughter was born March 3rd and Ash Wednesday was March 5th. Our parish doesn’t do baptisms during Lent so we had to wait until after Easter. They only do baptisms monthly so we had to do it at the end of May. Not ideal, but we did the best we could.

That’s really all you can do. Have the baptism as soon as it is reasonable to do so.

 

[Linybaby]

I am guessing this is your first baby. You may not be up to your child’s baptism. I had two babies. My oldest was born in the middle of May and I knew I was having a c-section and my obgyn put me on restrictions for the first 6 weeks. Needless to say my first was baptized the end of July.

My second was born the end of January. I knew I healed well the first time and thought I could baptize ealier around 4 weeks old but when talking to my pedi he suggested I wait another month because it was cold and flu season and told me all about RSV and all it’s complications. Needless to say I took his suggestion and my second was baptized the end of March,

So both were about 2 months old. Considering most people that I invited was surprised I was doing it so early I didn’t think to much of it. The majority of the baptisms I see at my church the baby can hold up their head and even walk. In the class at church the majority of the parents came with their babies or had someone watching them. I was in the category of the few that came in pregnant!

Oh well, you do the best for your baby and make the right choices for you and your family. Btw I did stay in the house prior to baptism other than the necessary doctor apts for me and the new baby. So we did try to limit the “in case of”

 

[blujazz25]

Thank you all for responding. I understand the neccesity but here is my dilemma, the god parents that we picked are out of the state (to where our home parish is), we are new to this parish we are in and we barely know people here. Any (name removed by moderator)uts?

 

[1ke]

Thank you all for responding. I understand the neccesity but here is my dilemma, the god parents that we picked are out of the state (to where our home parish is), we are new to this parish we are in and we barely know people here. Any (name removed by moderator)uts?

Yes, talk to your pastor.