Baptism

Welcome!

Welcome to the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish family. A child is a great blessing and we thank you for wanting to have your child baptized here. We are excited for your entire family to be part of our family of faith! As you may know, baptism is the first of three sacraments of Initiation (along with Holy Eucharist and Confirmation). A sacrament is “an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace,” and the graces and spiritual gifts a child receives at baptism will remain present throughout his/her entire life. We are committed to walking with and supporting families in their faith journey!

Baptism Preparation

If this is not your first child and you’ve taken a Baptism preparation class before, please call Amy Malley in the parish office to schedule your baptism date.

First-time parents are required to meet with Deacon Rod Walker and Laura Stierman in a low-key atmosphere for one Monday evening class. Classes are offered about once/month, usually on the first Monday of the month. We use online videos for our Baptismal preparation, which you will watch at your convenience before coming to class. During the class, we’ll answer any questions you have about the content, then walk through what happens on the “day of” your child’s baptism.

Once you contact Laura (lstierman@seasparish.org or 651-437-4254, ext 237) she’ll give you the easy log-in directions to watch the videos, answer any questions you might have, and confirm your class date.

We encourage you to attend our Baptism class before your child is born.

The Baptism

We are more than happy to schedule a baptism day and time that works for your family. Baptisms are generally done during or following our weekend Masses, but can be done on any day of the week at any time, depending on Fr. Dave or Deacon Rod’s availability.

Sponsor/Godparent Requirements

Parents are entrusted to choose up to two Godparents. Godparents are an important part of the life of the child since they will support and teach the child throughout life! Your Godparents are invited to also watch one session of the baptism videos titled, ‘What it means to be a Godparent.’ There is to be one male sponsor (Godfather) or one female sponsor (Godmother) or one of each gender (Godmother and Godfather).

To be a Sponsor/Godparent a person must:
(a) Be designated by a parent
(b) Have completed the sixteenth year of age
(c) Have received the sacrament of Confirmation in the Catholic faith and be practicing the Catholic faith
(d) Not be bound by any canonical penalty legitimately imposed or declared. Adults who are married outside of the church, re-married without an annulment, or living together without the benefit of the sacrament of marriage are ineligible for the role of Godparent.
(e) Not be the father or mother of the one to be baptized.

What happens after my child is baptized?

Young Family Sunday The last Sunday of the month is “Young Family Sunday.” We offer special tables for hospitality, finger-friendly treats, and the chance to connect with other young families following the 10 a.m. Mass. Our ‘little kid’ play area in Mother Seton Hall is available for your “littles” to wander and roam, while you connect with other moms and dads over coffee and donuts on this day. We hope that you’ll join our young family community on these Sundays.

Support for Moms & Dads
We have two groups for you to deepen your faith to give you strength for the parenting journey. Moms & More is a gathering of moms for friendship and support in the faith journey. The Watchmen is for Dads who have a desire to grow in faithful fatherhood.

Still have questions? Please contact Laura Stiermanand she will be happy to answer them.

Request your baptism certificate HERE.

Adults and children age 7 and older wishing to receive Baptism are encouraged to join the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). Fr. Dave can help you with RCIA.