Baptism

After the Baptism, the information will be recorded in the parish Baptism Register. Your child’s permanent Sacramental Record. All sacramental records prior to July 1, 2019 are held at the Diocese. Before your child’s reception of other Sacraments (First Reconciliation, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, and Holy Orders), entry to Catholic School, or Religious Profession, you will be asked for an updated copy of the Baptismal Certificate. Please call the Diocesan Archive Center at 412-456-3158. The information about your child’s Sacramental Life—wherever those events may happen—starting July 1, 2019 will be recorded at Holy Spirit Parish.

When a child is in the process of being adopted, the natural parents must consent to the Baptism. Otherwise, the Sacrament will be postponed until after the adoption has been finalized, except in danger of death. Foster parents do not have the authority to present a foster child for Baptism.

Parents are required to attend Baptism Preparation prior to the Baptism of their first child. Also, parents who have not participated in Baptism Preparation within the past four years are required to participate in Baptism Preparation prior to the Baptism of their next child. For dates and times of Baptismal Preparation classes, please call Jan Book at 724-652-3422 or fill out the form (see below) entitled: Baptismal Preparation Class.

One of your most important tasks before the Baptism is to choose godparents for your child. You only need one, but in many times there are two (one male and one female). Godparents will assist you in raising your child in the Catholic faith and therefore must meet certain qualifications as set forth by laws of the Catholic Church. According to Canon Law, a Godparent must:

• Be designated by you and must have the intention of performing this role
• Be at least 16 years of age (unless his/her pastor sees just cause for an exception)
• Be a Catholic who has been Confirmed and has already shared Holy Communion
• Be a Catholic who leads life in harmony with the faith and the role to be undertaken
• Not be bound by any legitimately imposed canonical penalty
• Not be the father or mother of the child

The proposed Godparent’s pastor will verify that s/he is eligible to be a Godparent. If your Godparents are from Holy Spirit Parish, they just need to call the main office (724) 652-3422 to attest to their eligibility or complete the form (see below) entitled: Sponsor Form for Members of Holy Spirit Parish. If they are from a different parish, the Godparents will need to request a “Sponsor Certificate” from their home parish. Our parish office needs to have the original copy of this document at least two weeks before the Baptism date.

What about a Non-Catholic Godparent? Because a Godparent should be an asset to you in raising your child in the Catholic faith, it makes sense that you must have at least one Catholic Godparent. A baptized Christian of a different denomination can serve as a Christian Witness as long as a Catholic Godparent is also present. For obvious reasons, former Catholics cannot act as a Christian Witness or a Godparent.

What if a Godparent Cannot Be Present at the Baptism? If a Godparent cannot be present at the Baptism for a good reason but still would like to perform the life-long task of being a Godparent, you can have a Proxy present at the Baptism. The Proxy must also be eligible to be a Godparent according to the above requirements and must obtain a Sponsor Certificate as well. The parish office also needs the original copy of this document at least two weeks before the Baptism date.

If your child is of Kindergarten age through fifth grade and would like to be baptized and/or received into the Church, please contact Cathy Frank at 724.654.9371 x1 or cfrank@hsplc.org. We will be happy to assist in this process.

If you have an older child whom you would like to be Baptized, please contact the Patrick Neve and he will design a preparation program to meet your needs. Patrick may be reached at 724.654.9371 x2211 or pneve@hsplc.org.

If you are an adult who has not previously been baptized and wish to be baptized in the Catholic Church, please contact Fr. Brendan Dawson at bdawson@hsplc.org or 724.652.3422 x2202 to learn more about our RCIA program.