"The sacrament of Baptism is the beginning of life—supernatural life.
Because of original sin, we come into the world with a soul which is supernaturally dead. We come into the world with only the natural endowments of human nature. The supernatural life which is the result of God’s personal and intimate indwelling, is absent from the soul.
Original sin is not, in the strict sense, a “blot” upon the soul. Indeed, original sin is not a “something” at all. It is the absence of something that should be there. It is a darkness where there ought to be light.
Jesus instituted the sacrament of Baptism to apply to each individual soul the atonement which He made on the Cross for original sin.
Jesus will not force His gift upon us, the gift of supernatural life for which He paid. He holds the gift out to us hopefully, but each of us must freely accept it.
We make that acceptance by receiving the sacrament of Baptism.
When the sacrament of Baptism is administered, the spiritual vacuum which we call original sin disappears as God becomes present in the soul, and the soul is caught up into that sharing of God’s own life which we call sanctifying grace."
–The Sacrament of Baptism:Gateway of new life Retrieved from http://www.beginningcatholic.com/baptism.htm
Infants to children the age of 5:
There are several requirements for the parents who wish to baptize their child at Immaculate Conception Church:
There are several serious and strict requirements for the Sponsor:
BAPTISM CLASS
Parents and Sponsors are required to take a Baptism Class in order to baptize a child.
Does it make any difference who you ask to be a Godparent for your children?
IT SURE DOES!!
People often want to ask their best friend or favorite relatives to act as Godparents fro their children; they usually do this as a way of honoring someone. Of course, we all would like to honor those who are dear to us, but the Baptism of your child may not be the right time to do so.
Would you ask your best friend to perform heart surgery on your child? Of course not, unless he/she is a competent heart surgeon. So, if the role of a Godparent is to help the parents raise their child in the good practice of the Catholic faith, then it stands to reason that you should ask someone who shows by their own knowledge and practice that they can help someone else follow in their footsteps.
Helping a child to become a good Catholic Christian is an important undertaking; it is therefore equally important to ask someone who regularly prays with the community at Sunday mass, and who also practices their faith in other ways and shows a commitment to Christian values
None of this is to suggest that your dear friends or relatives are not good people. They will surely be with you in many other ways. But, a mathematics teacher may not be a good teacher in the English grammar and good friend or close relative may not be the best role model of Catholic Christian practice.
If you value your faith, you will choose the best teacher to help you pass on faith to your children.