Welcome!

We are excited to welcome you and your family to The Catholic Community of the Good Shepherd. The first Sacrament of Initiation in the Catholic Church is baptism. The waters of baptism are an outward sign of the inner grace that God instills in all of us as His sons and daughters. And, through this ancient rite, we join in Christ’s missions of priest, prophet and king.

This sacrament is commonly associated with infants and young children, though it is also celebrated as the first sacrament for adults joining the Church as well. For information about receiving the Sacraments of Initiation as an adult, please contact us to learn more about joining our Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (formerly the Rite of Christian Initial for Adults) by contacting the parish office.

Requirements for Baptism

We invite you to complete the attached Baptism Intake Form for your child for baptism. After submission, the parish office will contact you to discuss logistics. Below are a few things to know about requirements for the sacrament.

First Time Parents and Godparents attend a Baptism Preparation Course. We will share these details with you when we contact you to schedule your Baptism.
The Catholic Church “acknowledge[s] one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins” (from the Nicene Creed). Therefore, children who have been baptized in another Christian denomination or privately in an emergency situation do not require an additional Catholic baptism.
Each baptism requires at least one baptized, confirmed, and practicing Catholic to serve as a Godparent. The Godparent will need to submit a “Parishioner in Good Standing” Letter signed by their current Parish Priest. This is not necessary for active members of the Catholic Community of the Good Shepherd.
Additionally, the Godparent must submit their Confirmation Certificate which can be obtained from the Parish where they were Confirmed. If the Godparent was Confirmed at the Catholic Community of the Good Shepherd (including St. Columba and The Church of the Holy Family), this form is not necessary.

Email Your Baptism Questions here

Baptism Intake Form

Name of Child to be Baptized

First Name

Last Name

Child's Date of Birth

MM

DD

YYYY

Child's Place of Birth

(city and town)

Contact Phone

The Church will contact you by phone to schedule your baptism

(###)

###

####

Contact Email

We will send follow-up information about Baptism to this address

Mother of Child to be Baptized

First Name

Last Name

Mother's Maiden Name

(if different from current last name)

Mother's Religion

Father of Child to be Baptized

First Name

Last Name

Father's Religion

Godparent #1

Primary Godparent must be a baptized, confirmed and practicing Catholic

First Name

Last Name

Is Godparent #1 a baptized, confirmed and practicing Catholic?

Godparent #2

First Name

Last Name

Will either Godparent be represented by a proxy?

In the event a Godparent is unable to be present for the Baptism, a proxy may stand-in to represent the absent Godparent

Name of Proxy

(This is only needed if either Godparent will be represented by proxy)

First Name

Last Name

Was the Child privately baptized?

Has the child been previously baptized in any other church, or privately in an emergency situation?