Validity of Wife's Baptism

[dizzy_dave]

My Wife was born and raised as an Independent Baptist, She converted to Catholicism about a year after we were married. The Catholic church accepted her Baptism as valid, with all due respect since they were not there how can they be sure it was done correctly? I love my wife and don’t want her to not be admitted into heaven on a technocality. Thanks and God Bless.

 

[puzzleannie]

each diocese has a list of denominations, which have been investigated in regard to their baptismal practices. if your wife’s denomination is not on that list, the pastor should have made it his business to ascertain that the baptism was performed by immersion, pouring or sprinkling water with the trinitarian formula. if that cannot be established a conditional baptism should be done, but only as a last resort. if you were up front with the pastor at the time your wife entered the church and reported the facts accurately, with proof of baptism, you may assume the validity of the baptism has been established.

 

[Kielbasi]

The Catholic church accepted her Baptism as valid, with all due respect since they were not there how can they be sure it was done correctly?

How do you know yours was done correctly, even if it was in the Catholic church?

Is it not possible for a Catholic priest to make an error as well?

You wouldn’t have remembered as an infant, the putative baptism may well have been in a foreign language your godparents didn’t understand, and almost certainly was if your in your 40s or older (latin).

Seriously, you can’t be obsessive compulsive, these tribunals and diocesan offices know what they are doing.

 

[m134e5]

dizzy_dave:

I love my wife and don’t want her to not be admitted into heaven on a technocality.

I don’t think God would say to your wife when she’s being judged “you thought you were baptized, but you really weren’t- sorry- you’re going to hell, even though you lived a virtuous life and you thought you received the other sacraments appropriately.” The Church recognizes her baptism- and Jesus gave the keys of the kingdom of heaven to the Church. Trust!

 

[urbana]

The other individuals on this thread have addressed that most likely the validity of the Baptism was established by your priest when initiating your wife into the Catholic Church. Since that is the case, there should be no reason to worry, and no need to perform any further actions. However, to lay any lingering fears to rest…

CCC
**1258 **The Church has always held the firm conviction that those who suffer death for the sake of the faith without having received Baptism are baptized by their death for and with Christ. This Baptism of blood, like the desire for Baptism, brings about the fruits of Baptism without being a sacrament.

**1259 **For *catechumens *who die before their Baptism, their explicit desire to receive it, together with repentance for their sins, and charity, assures them the salvation that they were not able to receive through the sacrament.

**1260 **“Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery.” Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity.

Almost definitely, your wife received baptism of water, which is the normal form of the sacrament. However, if not, I believe that the last sentence I quoted would apply to her, since she would have desired Baptism explicitly if she had known she needed it (due to not having received it). Therefore, I think that based upon 1258, if nothing else this desire for Baptism would bring about the fruits of Baptism.

I think I’ve heard something about a rule that individuals are not responsible (to God) for any defects in the sacraments they receive of which they have no reason to be aware, but am not certain about this.

 

[CatholicCid]

Just a thought, She can be “baptized” again persay…
Not re-baptized into the Catholic faith or the such, but hold another “Baptism.”
I say “Baptism” because if the first was not valid, then this would be her Baptism. If the first was valid, then this would just really be nothing. Just a way to make sure.
Not sure if I said that in the best way possible… Talk to your Pastor about it.

 

[Cockney_Clive]

Sorry Catholic Cid, but are you saying that this person could be baptised according to the rite of the Catholic Church ‘just to make sure’ as it were, even though she has already been baptised in the Baptist Church?

Because the answer is No. The Church recognises that there can be only one baptism in life and we must assume that Dizzie Dave’s wife received a valid baptism within the rite of the Baptist church and if she has the certificate to prove it then we (Catholic Church) take it as read that this is so.

 

[TJD]

Confession of a silly dad,

You know what a warm feeling you receive when you gaze on your infant sleeping peacefully in his or her crib. Then the terrible feeling you get when you fail to perceive the rhythmic motion of the heart and lungs doing their thing. (Especially after reading another article on SIDS) I’ve poked my children more than once when I shouldn’t have. I probably sinned when I performed my secret bathtub baptism on both my newborns while waiting for the actual ceremony with the ordinary minister of the sacrament.

I agree with everything said in this thread. Dizzy_Dave’s wife is full member of the Catholic Church and in God’s grace. Non-the-less, I still would be tempted to accidentally spill a warm glass of water on top of her head three times while saying “I baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” I don’t know if I’d do it, but I sure would be tempted to.

Christ’s Peace,

 

[Cockney_Clive]

TJD:
Non-the-less, I still would be tempted to accidentally spill a warm glass of water on top of her head three times while saying “I baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” I don’t know if I’d do it, but I sure would be tempted to.