The Sacrament of Baptism.
Parish of Saint Thomas of Canterbury at Woodbridge and Saint Clare’s Church at Framlingham.
In our parish we are committed to supporting one another in becoming disciples of Jesus Christ, fully alive to God and to one another. We welcome all people, of all ages and backgrounds, to encounter the living God who comes to us most especially in the sacraments and above all in our celebration of Holy Mass on Sundays.
The Sacrament of Baptism. Baptism is the first sacrament of Christian Initiation. Confirmation and Holy Communion complete initiation into the Catholic Church. Through Baptism, a person is welcomed into the universal communion of the Church, becoming part of God’s family.
Understanding Baptism. Baptism is not a rite of passage nor is it something to simply get ‘done’. It is a profound sacrament that welcomes your child into the life of the Church and fills him or her with Divine life.
If you are a Catholic and have a child under the age of seven, infant baptism is strongly encouraged. For infant baptism, at least one parent must themselves be a member of the Catholic Church. If practicing the Catholic faith is a little bit sporadic, you are warmly welcomed and encouraged to allow God to re-light that spark of faith in your own life, so that you may more fully undertake your parental responsibilities which you take on at baptism. This is best done, to begin with, by re-discovering the practice of weekly Sunday Mass and making it a part of your family’s life.
At the heart of a parent’s vocation to the upbringing of children is the need to bring your child to God, and teach your child about God, and to demonstrate by example the life of joy in God that is opened up in the sacraments. The child’s parents publicly make this commitment at the baptism.
Preparation for Baptism. Attendance at Sunday Mass, or the Vigil Mass on at Saturday evening, is a normal part of our preparation for Baptism. If this is your first child to be baptised or if there is a significant gap since the last baptism in your family, there will be some preparation to do with the Parish Priest as well as attending Sunday Mass.
A child also requires a sponsor, or a godparent. A sponsor is someone who is already a member of the Christian community – and in full communion with it – who is able to vouch for that promise, as well as to assist the parents in their own responsibility to bring up their child in the Christian faith. Therefore, any choice of godparent must themselves be Catholic. A child may only have two godparents, one male, and one female. You may also choose only one godparent, if you wish. Their Parish Priest will be asked to testify that they go to Mass every Sunday.
Booking the Baptism. Baptisms are booked when you have met the Parish Priest. Please introduce yourself to him after a Sunday Mass. Baptism bookings are only made in person, not over the telephone nor by e-mail.
A provisional date for the baptism can be agreed at the first contact which can be confirmed later, after attendance at the baptism preparation meeting.
If you do not live and practice the Catholic faith in this parish, but would like your child under the age of seven to be baptised at Woodbridge or at Framlingham, then you will need to be prepared by your Parish Priest in the parish in which you live and where you go to Mass.
You will also need to demonstrate a just reason why the baptism should take place in this parish, rather than your own parish, and, indeed, you will be encouraged to have your child baptised in your own parish.
If there is a just reason to have your child baptised here, your Parish Priest will be asked to testify that you go to Mass every Sunday.