Is Emergency Baptism Valid if one lives

[Kristine1957]

I need to know what is the Catholic church’s position is when there is an emergency baptism performed ( all medical signs are pointing that the person is going to die) but then pulls through is this baptism still valid?

Does this mean she is now Catholic?

 

[puzzleannie]

yes presuming the intent of the one baptizing was to baptize as Catholic. the fact of the baptism should be reported to the person’s pastor, or the pastor with jurisdiction over that area, and the rite completed as soon as possible after the person recovers (anointing and so forth) and the fact of baptism entered in the sacramental record of the parish.

 

[GandalfTheWhite]

Once baptized, always baptized!

 

[Kristine1957]

This may seem alittle silly but…what happens if the person gets well and rejects the baptism does that matter?

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I need to know what is the Catholic church’s position is when there is an emergency baptism performed ( all medical signs are pointing that the person is going to die) but then pulls through is this baptism still valid?

Does this mean she is now Catholic?

Yes, the Baptism is valid, The person who performed the emergency Baptism is required to report it to the pastor of the parish where the Baptism took place so that it can be recorded in the parish Baptismal register. The Pastor then can supply the additional Rites of Baptism for the person.

Yes, the person is now Catholic!

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

This may seem alittle silly but…what happens if the person gets well and rejects the baptism does that matter?

No, they are still a validly Baptized Catholic.

 

[Kay_Cee]

I need to know what is the Catholic church’s position is when there is an emergency baptism performed ( all medical signs are pointing that the person is going to die) but then pulls through is this baptism still valid?

Does this mean she is now Catholic?

This actually happened to my mother. She was baptized while in a coma.

Later, when she came to and discovered she had been visited by a priest, she wanted to know if he had baptized her. The nurses didn’t want to tell her–they were afraid she might sue the hospital.

However, the reason the priest baptized her was because she had been taking classes in order to convert to Catholicism. He had also been told she wasn’t going to make it, so, in addition to baptizing her, he gave her Annointing of the Sick.

So she never did finish her classes, but my mother was thrilled she was Catholic and remained so until her death six decades later.

 

[vern_humphrey]

I once thought I was unique, but I have since found others – Catholics baptized by their mothers, and then baptized again in church. Oddly, most such beneficiaries of this double baptism are first-born sons.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

This actually happened to my mother. She was baptized while in a coma.

Later, when she came to and discovered she had been visited by a priest, she wanted to know if he had baptized her. The nurses didn’t want to tell her–they were afraid she might sue the hospital.

However, the reason the priest baptized her was because she had been taking classes in order to convert to Catholicism. He had also been told she wasn’t going to make it, so, in addition to baptizing her, he gave her Annointing of the Sick.

So she never did finish her classes, but my mother was thrilled she was Catholic and remained so until her death six decades later.

He most likely, Baptized, Confirmed and Anointed her. Technically she didn’t have to “complete” her classes. She would have been fully initiated into the Catholic Faith.

 

[puzzleannie]

This may seem alittle silly but…what happens if the person gets well and rejects the baptism does that matter?

once baptized always baptized, that is why it is such a serious thing, and the sacrament should not be given to one who has not indicated they wish the sacrament, or to a child whose parents indicate they wish the child baptized.

 

[puzzleannie]

I once thought I was unique, but I have since found others – Catholics baptized by their mothers, and then baptized again in church. Oddly, most such beneficiaries of this double baptism are first-born sons.

there is no such thing as someone who has been baptized twice the the Catholic Church. There may be an occasion when the child had an emergency baptism in the hospital, and the priest later completed the rite, or where a conditional baptism was performed, because the fact of the first baptism could not be documented. but if the mother baptized the infant, kept quiet about it and asked to priest to baptize later, the first baptism is the actual sacrament.

 

[vern_humphrey]

there is no such thing as someone who has been baptized twice the the Catholic Church. There may be an occasion when the child had an emergency baptism in the hospital, and the priest later completed the rite, or where a conditional baptism was performed, because the fact of the first baptism could not be documented. but if the mother baptized the infant, kept quiet about it and asked to priest to baptize later, the first baptism is the actual sacrament.

Correct. And as I said, I thought I was unique. But many a Catholic girl secretly baptized her first-born, apparently.

 

[1ke]

This may seem alittle silly but…what happens if the person gets well and rejects the baptism does that matter?

Per Canon Law an adult cannot be validly baptized unless they manifest the intent to be baptized. Doing so without the person’s express consent or intent does bring into doubt its validity:

Can. 865 §1. For an adult to be baptized, the person must have manifested the intention to receive baptism, have been instructed sufficiently about the truths of the faith and Christian obligations, and have been tested in the Christian life through the catechumenate. The adult is also to be urged to have sorrow for personal sins.

§2. An adult in danger of death can be baptized if, having some knowledge of the principal truths of the faith, the person has manifested in any way at all the intention to receive baptism and promises to observe the commandments of the Christian religion.

 

[Kay_Cee]

He most likely, Baptized, Confirmed and Anointed her. Technically she didn’t have to “complete” her classes. She would have been fully initiated into the Catholic Faith.

Oh, I know. She did, however, have to kind of “catch up” on her own, though. I don’t think she’d gotten very far in her classes, so she still had some misconceptions about the Church.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Oh, I know. She did, however, have to kind of “catch up” on her own, though. I don’t think she’d gotten very far in her classes, so she still had some misconceptions about the Church.

It is a life long process for everyone.

 

[Kristine1957]

Thank you everyone who has replied, this eases my mind…
You see my sister got very sick and was in a coma. We didn’t know if she would make it, in fact we thought it would be a miracle if she did. Her and I are very close and we have talked about her being mormon and me being a convert to the Catholic church. ( she hasnt practiced being a mormon for years) anyway she was so critical I went ahead and had her baptized and guess what… thats when she started to come around and started to get well again!
When she was well enough to talk alittle she remembered thier was a priest that sprinkled her with water and she said something about being baptized and I told her she was, she has been so sick I wasn’t sure if she knew what was going on but I tell you all one thing… When she received the sacrament of baptism I felt the Holy Spirit within me so strong I KNEW this was right. Now all I can do is ask God to help her get well… please keep her in your prayers, I thank all of you!!
God bless you all…:angel1: