Catholic Sacraments are milestones in our lives, where God reveals to us His great love and especially who He is.  Baptism is the First of the Three Sacraments of Initiation in the Roman Catholic Tradition. Confirmation and Holy Eucharist are the other two.

The word baptism in its origins is Greek and means "immersion" and "bath." Immersion in water is a sign of death and emersion out of the water means new life. To bathe in water is also to undergo cleansing. Saint Paul sums up this truth when he says, "You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead" (Col 2:12). USCCB

For Solemn Baptism, the minister is either a deacon, priest or bishop. Roman Catholics use the Trinity formula “ ___ I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” . You only can be baptized once and it is permanent.  In danger of death, anyone can baptize. You must pour plain water over the persons head and use the formula above.

To schedule your child’s baptism you must first ensure you are registered with the Church.  It is also required that you (the parents) have attended a Baptismal Prep Class.  It is offered at St. Therese on the 4th Saturday of every month.  You can call the Faith Formation office to sign up for the class.  There is also a Baptism Questionnaire that must be filled out and returned to the office.  Baptisms are held on the 1st Saturday of the month at 11am, and the 3rd Sunday of the month at 1:15pm.  Once you have filled out the Questionnaire, you may contact Carmen San Juan to schedule your baptism.  We ask that you try to schedule it at least 6 weeks in advance.   

To review the Guidelines for choosing sponsors/godparents for your childs baptism, please click on the link to the left.