Should I be baptized

[jmartini]

I have posted this question to “Ask an Apologist”; however, I’m sure they are busy and haven’t had a chance to answer my question so I am hoping that someone here might be able to give me some guidance / peace of mind.

My father was a practicing catholic and I recall vividly attending mass with him up until the age of 6 when he passed away. I am in the process of joining the catholic church (converting if you will) at the age of 36. I have many reasons for doing this, an important reason (of course, not the top of the list however) is to honor my father and his last surviving blood relative, my aunt. It is unknown if I was Christened as a child; my local parish is searching for any record as we speak.

I was raised by my loosely associated, southern baptist mother with whom I can recall attending church maybe a handful of times over the course of my life. When I was 11 years of age, I developed enough curiosity to attend the Church of Christ across the street and was baptized; however, I believe that I was not mentally and spiritually ready to receive this sacrament. My spiritual life was not fostered and I soon fell away from attending any church altogether.

I am mortally worried for the welfare of my soul and would like to know what I can do, and the quickest route that I can take to get “right” with God.

Sincerely & Respectfully

 

[Irish_Becca]

Jason,

Have you talked to a priest about your baptism at 11? Remember that as Catholics, many of us were baptized as babies and have no recollection of it.

Is there a record of your baptism?

ETA:

Because if you were truly baptized, it seems that your next steps would be Reconciliation, Eucharist, and Confirmation. Confirmation may satisfy this “unfinished” feeling you’re having.

 

[erigby27]

You can always have the priest baptize you again (just in case). In this case, the formula would be: “If you have not already been baptized, I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”

This way, if you already have been truly baptized, this second baptism will mean nothing, and if your first baptism was not valid, you will be baptized.

If, when you were baptized at the Church of Christ, they used the Trinitarian formula, however, you are most certainly validly baptized and need only receive the other Sacraments.