​Having Your Child Baptized at St. Veronica

Congratulations, and welcome to your new addition!

Many parents wonder how soon after birth their baby should be baptized. Canon law obliges parents “to take care that infants are baptized in the first few weeks.” It recommends, in fact, that “as soon as possible after the birth or even before it, they are to go to their pastor to request the sacrament and be prepared properly for it.” These guidelines implement Canon law’s requirement.

Baptism Guidelines

St. Veronica celebrates Baptisms at 12:15 pm on the first and third Sundays of the month, with some flexibility based on individual circumstances. Here is what you will need to do in order have your child placed on our Baptism schedule:

1.       Complete the “Request for Baptism” form, and submit it to the Parish Office. Download the form here.

2.      Select your child’s Godparent(s) and have each submit an ORIGINAL Sponsor Certificate, signed and sealed by the pastor of the Catholic Church where he or she is registered.

• 1. Your child is required to have one, but may have two Godparents, one male and one female.
  2. Each Godparent must:
     1. Be a baptized and confirmed Catholic;
     2. Be at least 16 years old;
     3. Attend Mass weekly; and
     4. If married, be married in the Catholic Church, or have had the marriage validated by the Catholic Church.
  3. If there is to be only one Godparent, you may also have a Christian (non-Catholic) Witness. A Christian Witness must be a baptized Christian, and of the gender opposite the Godparent chosen. Non-Christians such as Mormons, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus or Muslims are not permitted. Likewise, lapsed Catholics or Catholics married outside the Church are ineligible.

Original Sponsor Certificates must be submitted to the Parish Office for each Catholic sponsor. The Catholic sponsor should contact the church where he/she is currently registered to request a Sponsor Certificate. Typically, each parish has its own form. If a Christian Witness is chosen, no documentation is needed.

3.      Attend the Baptism preparation class if you have not already done so (either at St. Veronica or at another parish). Our classes are held on the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm. Call the Parish Office to be placed on the list.

Once the Parish Office has received all the Baptism paperwork (#1 & #2) and the parents have attended the Baptism preparation class (#3) if necessary, the Parish Office will confirm the Baptism date.

​Additional Information

If a Godparent or Christian Witness cannot make it to the ceremony, a proxy may be selected. The proxy must be of the same form as the sponsor. For example, a male Catholic must be selected to stand in for a male Catholic sponsor, and female Christian witness must be selected to stand in for a female Christian witness. No sponsor certificates are required for the proxy.

Parents who were not married in the Church are encouraged to set up an appointment with one of the parish priests to see about having their marriage blessed in the Church.

​A complete copy of these guidelines can be downloaded here.