Saint Perpetua Catholic Church
Baptism of Infants and Children under the age of 7
Baptism Is a Celebration
The birth of a child is a precious gift and a major step on a family's faith journey -- a journey that will be filled with surprises as the mystery of this new life unfolds with all its uniqueness, joys and challenges. With this birth, God is doing a new thing, creating a family anew. With a child's baptism, the family of the Church is created anew as well. Together as family and as Church in this particular community of St. Perpetua, we are charged with welcoming and nourishing the life of this child in every way -- physically, spiritually, and emotionally. In the baptismal rite, we are reminded of our own faith commitment and challenged to live it more fully for the sake of this child and the world.
Baptism is a family affair -- a kind of birthday party -- when parents, family and friends, and the parish community gather to celebrate both this child and our faith in Christ Jesus. In a single joyous celebration baptism brings together wonderful symbols of our faith -- water, light, oil, sacred Scripture, and the community itself. We want to make this first sacrament of initiation a reverent, beautiful and graced experience. So we surround this child with music and song, prayer and gesture to draw us all into the living presence of the Spirit in whom we live and move and have our being.
All this can happen if we prepare for baptism thoughtfully and prayerfully. Because this sacrament is such an important moment and because it is the first step in an on-going process of faith-filled living, we ask parents to join us in preparing for this celebration, to use the weeks before the child's baptism to explore the meaning of this event for them and their child.
Questions & Answers about Baptism
Please contact Christoph Nauer at (925)283-0272#203.