Urgent Adult Baptism question

[SeekNFind]

Hello friends,

Can adults **only **get baptized at Easter vigil? Or can they get baptized anytime like babies?

Thanks!

 

[cspb56]

Any time.

 

[Leon_Bloy]

The Church’s current practice is to only do adult baptism during Easter. People can be baptized really at any time, but typically this is only done outside of the Easter Vigil mass for adults for some emergency reason, such as someone in danger of death, etc.

 

[SeekNFind]

Thanks for your replies!

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

It’s always good to look at the RCIA ritual text. Here is relevant information:

1. The celebration of the sacraments of Christian initiation should take place at the Easter Vigil itself. But if there are a great many catechumens, the sacraments are given to the majority that night and reception of the sacraments by the rest may be transferred to days within the Easter octave, whether at the principal church or at a mission station. In this case either the Mass of the day or one of the ritual Masses “Christian Initiation: Baptism” may be used and the readings are chosen from those of the Easter Vigil.

OUTSIDE THE USUAL TIMES

1. The entire rite of Christian initiation is normally arranged so that the sacraments will be celebrated during the Easter Vigil. Because of unusual circumstances and pastoral needs, however, the rite of election and the rites belonging to the period of purification and enlightenment may be held outside Lent and the sacraments of initiation may be celebrated at a time other than the Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday.

Even when the usual time has otherwise been observed, it is permissible, but only for serious pastoral needs (for example, if there are a great many people to be baptized), to choose a day other than the Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday, but preferably one during the Easter season, to celebrate the sacraments of initiation; the program of initiation during Lent, however, must be maintained.

When the time is changed in either way, even though the rite of Christian initiation occurs at a different point in the liturgical year, the structure of the entire rite, with its properly spaced intervals, remains the same. But the following adjustments are made.

1. As far as possible, the sacraments of initiation are to be celebrated on a Sunday, using, as occasion suggests, the Sunday Mass or one of the ritual Masses “Christian Initiation: Baptism.”
2. The rite of acceptance into the order of catechumens is to take place when the time is right.
3. The rite of election is to be celebrated about six weeks before the sacraments of initiation, so that there is sufficient time for the scrutinies and the presentations. Care should be taken not to schedule the celebration of the rite of election on a solemnity of the liturgical year.
4. The scrutinies should not be celebrated on solemnities, but on Sundays or even on weekdays, with the usual intervals.