Baptism Information

Baptism, like any of the Sacraments, is a communal celebration. The primary time for the celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism is at the Easter Vigil. In the early Church, all Baptisms were celebrated during the Vigil Celebration unless it was a situation of the person being near death. As the Church grew and expanded, she began to celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism on other Sundays, particularly at the Sunday liturgy.

At Saint Columban parish, there are two normal preferences for the celebration of the Sacrament. First is at the Sunday (or Saturday evening) Mass. Second is at a community Baptism celebration during the afternoon of the second and third Sunday of each month. Occasionally because of emergencies or if there is a serious hardship in having relatives from out of town arrive for either Sunday celebration, we will schedule the Baptism at other times.

One restriction is that we do not normally celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism during the season of Lent or on a Holy Day feast of the Church.

Baptism instructions are required for all first time parents. They are normally conducted at 1:00 pm in the school Faculty Room on the afternoon of the first Sunday of every other month (February, April, June, August, October, and December). The one time session lasts approximately one and a quarter hours and reservations are not needed. Both parents are requested to attend.

For information and scheduling of your infant’s Baptism, please contact the Pastoral Associate at the parish office, 683-0105.