I need proof for baptism

[whoisdiss]

My sister wants to enter the church. She is coming from the Baptist tradition and unfortuantly… her church does not do baptismal certificates. I was never at her baptism and her baptist friends don’t want her to be catholic so she does not have any one willing to be her witness with baptism. But, we do have a photo of her being baptized that her friend took and gave to her. May we use this as evidence?

 

[SMHW]

My sister wants to enter the church. She is coming from the Baptist tradition and unfortuantly… her church does not do baptismal certificates. I was never at her baptism and her baptist friends don’t want her to be catholic so she does not have any one willing to be her witness with baptism. But, we do have a photo of her being baptized that her friend took and gave to her. May we use this as evidence?

It will probably be sufficient proof. She will probably need to submit a statement attesting to the fact that she was the one being baptized in the photo, that it was a Baptist Church, the minister’s name (if she knows it) and that he followed the proper form.

The sooner she submits her evidence, the sooner she will find out if the Catholic Church will accept her evidence and whether or not the Church needs anything further.

 

[captainrick]

I couldn’t get ahold of my baptismal certificate, so the priest did a conditional baptism.

 

[SecretGarden]

You can try to use a photo but your best bet is to locate a video of the baptism. I know some baptist churches will videotape it. This is important because it will prove that the baptism was conducted by invoking the holy trinity. If that is not possible, try to speak with the pastor who baptised her and ask if he would be willing to provide a letter stating that it was done with the holy trinity.

That said, I would speak with your priest because in some cases the clergy might know each other there which might mean the photo might be accepted. In other cases without the letter or the video, the priest might decide to rebaptise her just in case. It really depends on the diocese and the priest since different everyone works slightly differently.

 

[ArchAngeles]

My sister wants to enter the church. She is coming from the Baptist tradition and unfortuantly… her church does not do baptismal certificates. I was never at her baptism and her baptist friends don’t want her to be catholic so she does not have any one willing to be her witness with baptism. But, we do have a photo of her being baptized that her friend took and gave to her. May we use this as evidence?

That might work if she’s recognizable in the photo and the church that did the baptism is considered (by the Catholic Church) to perform valid baptisms. I think ultimately it’s up to the parish as to what is acceptable proof and if the baptism was valid or not. I was (more than likely) baptized as a baby in the Methodist church (the baptisms of which are normally considered valid), but I could not find *any *paperwork. And boy, did I look for it. No one who might have been there at the time was still alive, so I was unable to provide proof of baptism. I will have a conditional baptism when the time comes for confirmation. I’m looking forward to that as I’ll remember it this time (plus I’ll finally have “written proof” when it’s done)!

BTW, it’s worth looking for some sort of proof of baptism because if you can find it, it should make for a smoother RCIA process. You would be considered a “candidate” from the get go and it might shave some time off of your instruction.

 

[WingsOfEagles]

That might work, depending on the particular priest. I wonder if the minister who performed it would do a baptism certificate up because she needs it for her “new church”. In the days of computers, it’s not too hard to create something more official. It just depends on how anti-Catholic the minister may be.

 

[Georgia]

Baptist churches in Georgia provide letters to those moving membership to other churches, usually other Baptist churches. People often say something like “I moved my letter to XYZ Baptist Church.”

When I began my trip across the Tiber, asked my old church for confirmation of my baptism. I got a letter that said I was saved, baptized, gave the date of the baptism and was signed by the pastor.

 

[LouiseHine]

My sister wants to enter the church. She is coming from the Baptist tradition and unfortuantly… her church does not do baptismal certificates. I was never at her baptism and her baptist friends don’t want her to be catholic so she does not have any one willing to be her witness with baptism. But, we do have a photo of her being baptized that her friend took and gave to her. May we use this as evidence?

The lady who I was confirmed with had to be baptised first before she could be confirmed because she was baptised as a Baptist, and the Church doesn’t recognise that baptism because it’s not in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. She will probably need to be baptised, but this will be discussed during her RCIA I should imagine.

 

[JRKH]

I have to wonder why any more than the person’s word would be required.

It sounds as though this person is positive they have been properly baptized. The word of the catechumen in this case should be sufficient I would think. What reason would they have to lie - and if they did - what would that say about their conviction?
If the person can positively state that they were previously and properly baptized - regardless availability or of the absence of documented evidence - shouldn’t the assumption be that they are telling the truth?

Just me being frustrated…

Peace
James

 

[pianistclare]

My pastor would accept it. This happens a lot in the Hispanic community. If you can make out the place, and know the name of the minister…it’s probably OK.

 

[whoisdiss]

That might work if she’s recognizable in the photo and the church that did the baptism is considered (by the Catholic Church) to perform valid baptisms. I think ultimately it’s up to the parish as to what is acceptable proof and if the baptism was valid or not. I was (more than likely) baptized as a baby in the Methodist church (the baptisms of which are normally considered valid), but I could not find *any *paperwork. And boy, did I look for it. No one who might have been there at the time was still alive, so I was unable to provide proof of baptism. I will have a conditional baptism when the time comes for confirmation. I’m looking forward to that as I’ll remember it this time (plus I’ll finally have “written proof” when it’s done)!

BTW, it’s worth looking for some sort of proof of baptism because if you can find it, it should make for a smoother RCIA process. You would be considered a “candidate” from the get go and it might shave some time off of your instruction.

Thanks, she is very recognizable in the photo. I hope this works!

 

[Cricket2]

I would imagine this would help. But don’t worry so much. Your Pastor can always do a “Conditional Baptism.” This is done when there is a question about someone’s past Baptism. It was often done in my Parish for those who had been living in refugee camps and who could not retrieve any records.

It simply means that the person is being Baptized with the understanding that there might have been a past Baptism for which no proof can be obtained. It is as valid as a Baptism done under normal circumstances. So, take a sigh of relief and rejoice in your sister’s desire to join the Church.

 

[Georgia]

The lady who I was confirmed with had to be baptised first before she could be confirmed because she was baptised as a Baptist, and the Church doesn’t recognise that baptism because it’s not in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. She will probably need to be baptised, but this will be discussed during her RCIA I should imagine.

There are lots of variations of churches identifying as Baptist, but, so far as I know, all baptize in the Trinitarian formula. The only difference I have seen is that some pastors say they are baptizing “in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” and others say “in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.”

 

[Musicmedic]

I didn’t have a proof of baptism when I went through RCIA. I was told that someone who witnessed (parent, guardian, family member) the baptism could write a letter and sign it and it would be sufficient.