Proof of Baptism for RCIA

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FromTheAshes777

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Greetings friends,

I am blessed and very happy to say that I may be beginning the RCIA process sometime this coming year. I have a question about my proof of baptism in order to be recieved as a candidate.

I have no certificate of my baptism that I know of, nor any written record of it that I know about. I was baptized in a small southern baptist church when I was 10 years old.

What I do have is a VHS tape that my parents made with our home video camera, and I believe that they still have this in their possession. Would this video tape suffice as proof of my valid baptism? I haven’t changed too much in the past 17 years, lol, and I am still very recognizable in the video :). It is definitely me. And as I said, I remember it all very well.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? I am still on the membership role at another southern baptist church and they could possibly have some record of my baptism as well, but I’m not sure. I am very happy I do have this tape, and that my parents have kept it. Thank you all for your answers. I am so excited that I may be nearing the time when I recieve the Sacraments and come into full Communion with the Church our Lord founded.

~Josh
 
Welcome home!

Yes, you should be fine. Often you can have someone, like your parents, sign off that you were baptized. Talk to your RCIA leader and they will tell you exactly what you need to do. 👍
 
Thank you Karen!

One thing I forgot to mention. I am planning on moving to a new state in the next year, from TN to RI, so I am not exactly sure at this point which parish I will be attending RCIA at since I do not know where exactly my apartment is going to be, although I have some ideas.

Also my parents are not moving so they will not be there, and unfortunately, are not very happy about my conversion.

Thanks again for the responses. Please keep me in your prayers.
 
I don’t think you have anything to worry about. God is giving you the grace to come home, and He’ll make the arrangements easy for you. 🙂
 
as long as your denomination and pastor practiced the proper form of Christian baptism you are probably fine. Your parents or others who were present can also attest to the facts if you were too young to remember.

Welcome Home!
 
I really enjoy hearing from RCIA candidates. Welcome!

If for whatever reason you can not find proof of your Baptism, that can be easily remedied. Many candidates are Baptized at the Easter Vigil or whatever Mass the join the Church at. A very good friend of mine is in the RCIA process and is certain he was Baptized Catholic, though he cannot find proof. He was adopted as a small child from a South American country.

Tenn to RI? Wow! I am from NC and have traveled to New England many times (my wife is a Conn Yankee). There will definitely be a culture shift but from the Catholic perspective, you will be in good company.
 
FromTheAshes777 said:
Greetings friends,

I am blessed and very happy to say that I may be beginning the RCIA process sometime this coming year. I have a question about my proof of baptism in order to be recieved as a candidate.

I have no certificate of my baptism that I know of, nor any written record of it that I know about. I was baptized in a small southern baptist church when I was 10 years old.

What I do have is a VHS tape that my parents made with our home video camera, and I believe that they still have this in their possession. Would this video tape suffice as proof of my valid baptism? I haven’t changed too much in the past 17 years, lol, and I am still very recognizable in the video :). It is definitely me. And as I said, I remember it all very well.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? I am still on the membership role at another southern baptist church and they could possibly have some record of my baptism as well, but I’m not sure. I am very happy I do have this tape, and that my parents have kept it. Thank you all for your answers. I am so excited that I may be nearing the time when I recieve the Sacraments and come into full Communion with the Church our Lord founded.

~Josh
Click to expand...
**Your parents could sign that you have been baptized and there’s your tape…for whoever needs to see it.

I’m so happy for you coming home to the Catholic Church…may your way be blessed…

stormy**
 
Josh, welcome home!

The video should suffice, but if it doesn’t and your baptism can not be determined to be of the proper form (Tridentine) with certainty, you will receive a conditional baptism (since you can have only one).

This is a very important issue in conversion, but one which is readily addressed.
 
HI Josh!

Welcome home!

Yes, your vcr tape is evidence of your baptism. Talk to the RCIA team you are dealing with. The parish priest as well.

It shouldnt be a problem.
Also did you have godparents at the time of your baptism? They too are witnesses.

As long as the baptism is considered valid (most Christian denomination are).

God Bless
 
I had a somewhat similar situation with a Vietnamese lady who had been baptized in a Catholic girls school in Vietnam. Her records were unavailable, but she had a photo of the baptism. We just needed an affidavit that she was the subject in the photo. Since she could remember the event, her affidavit sufficed.
 
The advice already posted is good, but I wanted to add one thing: Often times, protestant churches will record your baptism, even if they don’t tell you. If you call them with a name and date, sometimes the church secretary can look it up and they’ll usually be able to make a baptismal certificate or can provide a note on church letterhead that serves as proof.

It can obviously vary from church to church, but when I’ve dealt with this sort of thing for mixed marriages, I’ve always been able to get something in writing. You don’t even need to tell the secretary what you need it for - just that you’d like to have proof of Baptism. If they pry, just tell them that you’re moving and want to be able to give it to the new church (which is true - you don’t have to specify that it’s the Catholic Church).
 
CoffeeHound said:
The advice already posted is good, but I wanted to add one thing: Often times, protestant churches will record your baptism, even if they don’t tell you. If you call them with a name and date, sometimes the church secretary can look it up and they’ll usually be able to make a baptismal certificate or can provide a note on church letterhead that serves as proof.

It can obviously vary from church to church, but when I’ve dealt with this sort of thing for mixed marriages, I’ve always been able to get something in writing. You don’t even need to tell the secretary what you need it for - just that you’d like to have proof of Baptism. If they pry, just tell them that you’re moving and want to be able to give it to the new church (which is true - you don’t have to specify that it’s the Catholic Church).
Click to expand...
I’ll second this advice. This is exactly how it worked for me. Lacking any record, I wrote the Church and the pastor wrote back a letter to my priest saying in effect that they held a record of baptism on such-and-such date, and that was that.
 
May God guide your path!

I leap for joy when I hear somebody is coming home, specially Baptists who are so futile towards Catholics.

I would love to hear your conversion story. 👍

God Bless
 
I get so excited when I hear about someone beginning RCIA! I myself just began this August and am being received in Easter. The more I learn about the faith, the more I feel just how right it is, and I get more excited every day! When I began RCIA, I was too scared to ask my previous church for a baptism letter. My father in law is on staff there, and I just felt too awkward. I knew no one there would be happy about my conversion. So I typed out a letter stating that I was baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit on this date at this church and my parents signed it for me (they were both there). And that’s all!
 
anp1215 said:
… So I typed out a letter stating that I was baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit on this date at this church and my parents signed it for me (they were both there). And that’s all!
Click to expand...
Some parishes will want the signature officially witnessed. The Parish Secretary or one of the priests can usually do that.
 
thank you all for your responses! I have many to thank on the forum for finally arriving where I am today spiritually.

I know that at the southern baptist church where I am currently on the role they requested a “letter” from the previous church that I grew up in where I was Baptized. I believe I can get a copy of this for any reason if I request it, as I have heard of others doing this (I have a friend who became Lutheran and needed a copy for this reason). This letter will include information on my Baptism and confirm that it was conducted with the trinitarian formula.

I think that the VHS tape, plus the letter from my current church where I have membership most likely should suffice as both of these churches did keep pretty good records as I remember.

I do plan to make an appointment with the Priest with the intention of having him watch the video, so he can confirm that an acceptable form was followed, and also to decide if he might recommend conditional Baptism or not. I have no qualms with this at all, but will leave the decision up to him, as he will be my pastor. I am pretty confident from my memories though that I was validly Baptized.

I am very excited to possibly be a part of Bishop Tobin’s diocese of Providence. I have been a fan of his even before I considered becoming Catholic because of his strong stand on right to life issues. March for Life events have been where I have made many good Catholic friends and met some excellent Priests in the area where I live now.

members.cox.net/holynamechurch/index.html
I hope to attend RCIA at The Church of the Holy Name of Jesus in Providence, where I would be able to attend Extraordinary Form Mass on a weekly basis, and maybe be recieved into the Church in a Latin Mass Easter vigil if one is celebrated.

Thank you all for your kind words, and please continue to keep me in your prayers.

~Josh
 
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