Baptisms are celebrated every month except during Lent. Attendance at a preparation seminar is required for the Catholic parent(s) and Godparents. Seminars are conducted in English on the first Monday of every month at 7:00 pm. Call the office for Spanish seminars.
Canon Law requires that there be a well-founded hope that the child will be raised Catholic. Otherwise, the baptism may be postponed until such a time as the requirement can be fulfilled. When a family contacts the parish office to schedule a child's baptism, the office will make arrangements, gathering the information for the baptism, answering any questions the family may have, and providing them with the dates of upcoming baptism seminars and baptisms.
The role of a sponsor is to assist the parents in the spiritual growth of the child. They must be active, practicing Catholics, at least 16 years old, and have already received the Sacrament of Confirmation. One sponsor is required; if two are chosen they must be one male and one female.
The RCIA, or Catechumenate, prepares catechumens (who are unbaptized) and candidates for full entrance into the Catholic Church, those who are baptized in another faith as well as Catholic baptized Catholics as infants but whose Christian formation is incomplete. Participants are led through four formation periods: Inquiry, Catechumenate, Enlightenment and Mystagogia. Inquiry gatherings are held Wednesdays at 7:00 pm and the Catechumenate gatherings are held every Sunday after the 10:30 am mass. Mystagogy gatherings are on the fourth Sunday of the month.