For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body. 1 Corinthians 12:13
The Journey to Baptism for Children Under 7 Years Old (the age of reason)
Welcome, and Congratulations to you as a parent! You’ve been blessed with a precious little person’s life and have made a beautiful choice to seek baptism for your child here at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Hermosa Beach. If you are an expecting parent, we encourage you to start this process now as life may be a bit unpredictable when your little one arrives.
STEP 1
The first step to Belonging begins here! Please take a moment to complete the Baptism Inquiry Form.
After you complete the Baptism Inquiry Form, an OLG team member will contact you with additional details and next steps. It brings us great joy to accompany you through the Baptism journey, we are here for you as one family in Christ.
Our baptisms are communal! It is a sacramental celebration to be shared with the community among other children to be baptized, not a private ceremony. Our Lady of Guadalupe will be your child’s forever home parish after the baptism. All sacramental records are stored at the church of baptism.
Parent Guidelines
The parents, or at least one of them, or the person who legitimately takes the place of a parent, must give consent. There must be a founded hope, that the child will be raised in the Catholic faith (or the baptism should be delayed until such hope exists). At least one parent should be a Catholic attempting to live their faith and intending that the child become a fully initiated member of the Catholic Church (Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation). After completing the above Baptism Inquiry Form, our team will contact you and provide additional information on following steps for Parents.
Steps for the Parents:
✞ Be Registered and Active Members of our community for three months or more. (CLICK HERE to be redirected on how to become a member of OLG.)
✞ Receive Baptism Preparation Catechesis. At OLG we offer an online self-study program called Belonging through Ascension Press.
✞ Complete the Baptism Registration Form.
✞ Provide Copy of the Child’s Birth Certificate.
✞ Connect with a Baptism Advocate after Mass.
Here’s a glimpse of the online self-study program we use to help families prepare for Baptistm, called Belonging
Godparent Guidelines
Only one Godparent is required, but you may select two. If there are two, they must be one female and one male. Godparents must be 16 years or older. A parent cannot also act as a Godparent.
Godparents play an important role in raising the child in the faith, and hence must be good examples of the Catholic Faith. At least one Godparent must be fully initiated and be an active practicing Catholic; that is, they must have received the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation, be regularly attending Mass and participating in the sacraments, and if also married, must be sacramentally married, that is they must be married in the church.
A second Godparent does not have to be Catholic but must be a Baptized Christian. (In this case, this person is considered a “Christian Witness.”)
If a Godparent cannot be present at the Baptism, the parents may choose a proxy (Christian Witness) to stand in for him or her. Proxies do not replace the role of godparent. The proxy must be a Baptized Christian but is not required to attend a pre-Baptism class.
If Godparents do not live locally, they may attend a baptismal preparation class offered at a parish near their home. Please submit to the church office a certificate from the baptismal preparation class and a letter of good-standing are needed from their parish indicating that they are qualified to be a Godparent.
We recognize that those who come seeking to baptize for their child are on different levels of faith with some formal participation in the church. Some families may find difficulties with the above guidelines. We ask you to consider the following:
✞ If the desired Godparent(s) have not yet been confirmed, we want to work with the Godparent(s) to help them be confirmed before the baptism of their Godchild.
✞ If the desired Godparent(s) are not yet married in the church, we want to work with them to help them be married in the church. For a couple already married civilly, this process is called Convalidation. This process does not require a big celebration and if done simply does not cost money. Convalidation can be done by working with the priest for a preparation process, and consists of exchanging your vows in church, in front of at least two witnesses, and thus to make the marriage sacramental. Depending on the age of the couple and how many years they have been married, the time for this can vary.
WAYS TO BE A GOOD GODPARENT
Being a godparent is one of those not-so-well-understood honors and responsibilities that some of us are asked to undertake on behalf of the children of family and friends. While we may be willing, we don’t always know what becoming a godparent entails. Read more on Ways to be a good godparent
Baptism for Children 7 Years old+ and Adults
Children who are in 1st grade or older are at the age of reason and will have a few more steps added to this process. Our team will guide you and provide this additional information.
Adults (18 and older) are invited to OCIA, Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. CLICK HERE for information about OCIA formerly known as RCIA.