Help - Baptism Preparation Class Ideas?

[Dismas2004]

Our priest has asked us to help out with the Baptism Preparation class for our parish. We have 30 minutes for an interactive a class to help parents realize their mission: to get their kids to heaven, baptism being the first step.

Note - this is an interactive class, not a lecture. I’m looking for ideas in which will help parents come to the right conclusion of the importance of baptism in raising good Catholic children and the struggles the ensue before and after the baptism.

 

[dmccormack]

When I was becoming a Godfather, in the Baptism preparation class, we took a mini quiz on some core catholic beliefs. I think it was an eye opener, because how little many knew (coming through the RCIA program 3 months prior, the info was fresh on my mind.). However, I think that the quiz helped many to understand that they are called to raise their baptized children in a Catholic manner.

 

[Julian0404]

I would suggest that the Godparents attend as well - if possible - and that you look to the web sites of Father Corapi, Father Larry Richards ( www.thereasonforourhope.com), and Scott Hahn ( www.salvationhistory.com) for CD’s or video’s that address Baptism. All three teach on very simple easy to understand terms.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

One idea I heard for a baptism class is to have the parents and godparents write a letter to the child explaining why they want the child to be baptized and what they are hoping for in terms of the child’s faith. Then they put the letters away until the child is older and can understand them. I think that would make a beautiful gift for later, perhaps when it’s time for the child’s First Communion or confirmation.

 

[teachccd]

Our priest has asked us to help out with the Baptism Preparation class for our parish. We have 30 minutes for an interactive a class to help parents realize their mission: to get their kids to heaven, baptism being the first step.

Note - this is an interactive class, not a lecture. I’m looking for ideas in which will help parents come to the right conclusion of the importance of baptism in raising good Catholic children and the struggles the ensue before and after the baptism.

Is the 30 minutes a part of the class or its totality? I have been giving the pre-baptism classes at our parish for about the last eight years. I have two hours and much of it is very interactive. I do keep to a structure and we do cover basic Catholic beliefs which opens the eyes of many. I take what’s in the Catechism of the Catholic Church under baptism and , using humor, I make it fun all while teaching all of the vital components of the sacrament. It seems like you have a lot to cover in 30 minutes. PM me if you have specifics and I will offer whatever I can… God bless you in your ministry…teachccd

 

[EasterJoy]

One thing we did as an interactive exercise for our religious education to start Lent with a preparation for Easter Vigil. We went through each phrase of the renewal of baptismal promises and discussed what each meant. We started with the premise “lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi”…that is, loosely, the law of prayer is the law of belief (as in your creed, that belief which you take to heart) is the law for life. So we talked about what it looks like to understand the liturgy for baptism, take to heart and live these:

Do you reject sin, so as to live in the freedom of God’s Children?
(Discussion points: do you believe that virtue is freedom and sin is slavery? How do we reject the slavery of sin? What are ways to live that out?..)

Do you reject the glamour of evil, and refuse to be mastered by sin?
(What does this mean when it refers to sin as something glamorous? How do you deal with the glamour of sin?..)

Do you reject Satan, father of sin and prince of darkness?
(What difference does it make that we believe there are spirits that tempt us toward ruin?..in my class, this line of discussion pointed out that God did make us so that the true desire of our heart is for God, that God’s way is not foreign to us, that our own self-will is not all we have to contend with…)

Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of Heaven and Earth?
(We used this to go over the idea that creation is good, that God is the master of the universe, that the devil is not some sort of opposite equal, and so on…I think you’re getting the picture of where this will go.)

Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
Who was Born of the Virgin Mary,
was crucified, died, and was buried,
rose from the dead,
and is now seated at the Right Hand of the Father?
I do.

Do you believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints,
the Forgiveness of sins, the Resurrection of the body,
and Life everlasting?
I do.

God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
has given us a New Birth by water and the Holy Spirit,
and forgiven our sins.
May God also keep us faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ
forever and ever.
Amen.

At this point, having just gone over in detail what “the faith” is, you can go back to the question that begins the baptism of a child, where the parents are asked what they want for their child, and the answer is “faith.” The parents will be in a different position than when they walked in, to talk about what that request really objectively means, so that they can take that part of the liturgy to heart and live it.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Our priest has asked us to help out with the Baptism Preparation class for our parish. We have 30 minutes for an interactive a class to help parents realize their mission: to get their kids to heaven, baptism being the first step.

Note - this is an interactive class, not a lecture. I’m looking for ideas in which will help parents come to the right conclusion of the importance of baptism in raising good Catholic children and the struggles the ensue before and after the baptism.

It would depend on what topics the rest of the class, specifically the time before your interactive session are about.

 

[cameron_lansing]

Our priest has asked us to help out with the Baptism Preparation class for our parish. We have 30 minutes for an interactive a class to help parents realize their mission: to get their kids to heaven, baptism being the first step.

Note - this is an interactive class, not a lecture. I’m looking for ideas in which will help parents come to the right conclusion of the importance of baptism in raising good Catholic children and the struggles the ensue before and after the baptism.

Certainly some excellent ideas. I will recommend you read the section on Baptism and sections on parents in the Catholic Catechism. No need to re-invent the wheel, and this will give some solidity in Catholic doctrine to what you do. You may want to contact your diocese, since someone there will be able to furnish additional resources.

 

[Joannm]

It would depend on what topics the rest of the class, specifically the time before your interactive session are about.

I would agree. Have they attended a baptism class and seen what happens? In our baptism class we have a woman do the first part. She does the ice breaker, getting people to open up by introducing themselves and asking the first set of questions from the Rite of Baptism…What name do you give your child (she knows the kids names ahead of time and usually looks up the saint - although this is getting harder with such strange names they give the kids these days). She also asks them why they want to baptize their child and talks about their responsibilities as a Christian parent. She asks about religious family rituals they remember as a kid and how they can incorporate the faith in raising their child emphasizing that the parent is the first teacher of the faith and they should not take this responsibility lightly. Then she talks a bit about the spiritual development of the child.

The rest of the class is done by one of the deacons or if they are unavailable myself or one of the priests. This is where the theological part comes in and most of the catechesis on the sacrament takes place. We also have a second class where I talk about the Rite and also again remind them of their responsibility and suggest ways they can get involved in the parish and how important it is to participate in the life of the parish, even if it just means coming to mass regularly.