Church of the Holy Spirit
A Roman Catholic Faith Community
Founded April 17, in 1973 - Incorporated July 1, 2008

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Infant Baptism Preparation

- Liturgy / Sacraments
Celebrating the Sacrament of Infant Baptism at Church of the Holy Spirit:

Parents wishing to have a child baptized at Holy Spirit Church must show a minimum of three months active registration at Holy Spirit Parish. Active participation includes weekly Mass attendance and tithing.
Step 1:
Contact the Infant Baptism Coordinator, Sharon Wirtz, at (480)838-7474, ext. 114. Leave a message with your name and telephone number OR email swirtz@holyspirit-tempe-az.org Include BAPTISM is the subject line.

Step 2:
Your message will be returned by phone or e-mail to discuss the baptism process and to schedule an inquiry interview. During the inquiry interview, parents will select a baptism date.

Step 3:
Following the inquiry interview for parents, select Godparents. The Godparent Verification Form is to be completed by godparents. The godparents need to request a Certificate of Baptism with notations from the church where they were baptized. This form validates that godparent received the required sacraments (baptism, first communion, confirmation and, if married, the marriage was performed in the Catholic Church). Godparent then brings this Certificate with the signed Godparent Verification Form to the parish where they are registered members to have the pastor certify that they are in good standing in that parish and that they met the requirements to be a Godparent for Baptism..

Step 4:
Attend a baptism preparation class (if required).

Overview of the requirements for infant baptism:

These requirements apply to parents wishing to have their child who is less than seven years old baptized at Holy Spirit. Parents should familiarize themselves with these requirements and then call the parish office at 480-838-7474 to begin the process to have their child baptized.

1) Parents who are members of Holy Spirit, or who reside within the Holy Spirit boundaries (the boundaries are North to Baseline; South to Warner; East to Price Road; West to Kyrene) and wish to have a child baptized at Holy Spirit should call the parish office as soon as possible to schedule a welcoming discussion with the parish Baptism Coordinator. In that conversation, the Coordinator will go over the specific requirements for preparation for the sacrament for your child. The initial paperwork will be completed at this time. A provisional date will be set for the baptism. The date will not be final until all preparation requirements have been completed.

2) Parents registered in a parish other than Holy Spirit, but who desire to have their child baptized at Holy Spirit, should complete the baptism preparation requirements at their home parish. The parents should then ask their home parish to send a letter to the pastor of Holy Spirit stating that the home parish baptism preparation requirements have been satisfied and requesting that the baptism be performed at Holy Spirit.

3) Unless otherwise determined by the Baptism Coordinator, because of a previous baptism preparation class or the equivalent, parents are required to attend a baptism preparation class. The class may be taken at Holy Spirit or at another location. If the class is not taken at Holy Spirit, you must provide the Baptism Coordinator with a copy of proof of attendance. It is recommended that the baptism class be completed during pregnancy. Baptism preparation classes at Holy Spirit are usually held on the second Saturday of the month from 9am to 12noon during the months of February, April, June, August, October and December and on the second Tuesday of the month from 7:00pm to 9:00pm during the months of March, May, July, September and November. The date for attendance at the class will be discussed at the initial welcoming discussion with the Baptism Coordinator.

4) Parents will need to bring the child’s birth certificate to the welcoming discussion. The certificate is needed as supporting documentation for the Church’s baptismal record. If it is not possible to obtain the government issued birth certificate, bring the hospital birth record to verify the date of birth and parents names.

5) The Catholic Church requires that there be at least one practicing Catholic godparent. If the parents would like to have two godparents, one must be male and the other female. A godparent must be fully initiated (baptized, confirmed, and first Eucharist), practicing Catholic at least 16 years of age. If married, the godparent must be married in the Catholic Church. The godparent should be a practicing member of a Catholic faith community. Godparents are encouraged, but not required, to attend a baptism preparation class. Godparents are required to complete the Godparent Verification Form in the baptism packet affirming that they meet the requirements to serve as a godparent. The lower portion of the form must be signed and dated by the Pastor of the church where the godparent is a member and returned to the office no later than the 1^st of the month of the provisional baptism date.

In some cultural traditions, there is a desire to have additional honorary godparents be part of the ceremony and continue to be an important part of the child’s life. This is permitted; however, the honorary godparents will not be officially recorded in the baptismal record.

6) Parents selecting only one godparent may have a Christian witness serve with the godparent. A Christian witness must be a baptized Christian of a denomination recognized by the Catholic Church. Catholics cannot serve as a Christian witness. A Christian witness is encouraged, but not required, to attend the baptism preparation class. The Christian witness must sign the appropriate form from the baptism packet.

7) Remember that the date of the baptism is provisional until all preparation requirements, including the baptism preparation class for the parents, signed Godparent Verification Form with the additional signature of the pastor from the godparent’s parish, Christian Witness form and the birth certificate have been received and verified by the Baptism Coordinator. To avoid any inconveniences to you and your guests, please complete all requirements no later than two weeks before the provisional scheduled baptism. If requirements are not met at least two weeks before the provisional baptism date, the baptism will be rescheduled for a later date.

Celebration:

1) Baptism of infants will generally be celebrated on the fourth Sunday of each month at 12:15pm in the church. If the parents desire another time for the baptism, this should be discussed with the Baptism Coordinator at the welcoming discussion.

2) There is no charge for baptism preparation or the sacrament itself. However, many families make a donation to the church in thanksgiving for the gift of new life in baptism received by their child. Our Baptism team is composed of highly dedicated Volunteers. The cost of the supplies we use during preparation and the ceremony comes to about $75 per family. If you would like to make a donation to the church to assist in covering the cost of the supplies, or in honor of your child’s Baptism, please use the envelope provided to you so that your donation can be recorded towards the Baptism Team. You may also consider donating your time as a volunteer to one of our many ministries at Holy Spirit.

I have read and understand the Holy Spirit policy on infant baptism. I understand that the baptism will be rescheduled if the preparation requirements are not completed two weeks prior to the provisional date.

_________________________________ Date _______________________
Signature of parent(s)

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Printed name of Parents