Baptism FAQs

Yes. All Saints does not require that parents be registered parishioners at our beloved parish. However, in order to baptize your child at All Saints, parents must be active practicing Catholics and complete the Baptism Preparation Class.

The Church does not charge for the sacramental celebration. Families are encouraged to give a donation to the priest or deacon on the day of their child's Baptism.

All Saints Catholic Church invites parents to contact the Parish Office at 972-778-0301 or as early as possible in the pregnancy. Participating in the preparation process during pregnancy allows appropriate time to discern whether baptism should or should not be celebrated once the child is born. Remember that the cornerstone of the Baptism process is the concept that there exists a basis of hope that the child will be raised in the Catholic faith.

Parents are to be properly prepared for living out the commitment they are making (i.e., to raise their child in the Catholic faith) and for being able to celebrate the Sacrament with understanding as to its impact, beauty, significance, and nature. Therefore, parents are required to attend Baptism Preparation Classes before their children are baptized. Unless of a dire emergency or grave cause, this cannot be exempted.

The Baptism Class is part of the Baptism Preparation process and therefore both Catholic parents (if they have custody of the child) are required to attend the Baptism Class. The primary purpose of the Baptism Class is not only to register for the baptism process, but also to determine the parents' intention to raise the child in the Catholic faith, to discuss the parents' own relationship with the Catholic Church, and to answer any remaining questions or concerns.

The role of a godparent / sponsor is very valuable in the Christian formation of a baptized child. Therefore, godparents / sponsors must be prepared in order to fulfill their roles in the Baptismal Rite and in assisting the parents in their duties of raising the child in the practice of the Catholic faith. All Saints highly recommends and strongly encourages that the godparent / sponsor attend classes; this is required.

Because All Saints does require godparents to attend classes, we do offer Baptism Preparation for godparents. You will be provided with a "Certificate of Completion" if the Baptismal class is taken at All Saints.

Should parents have completed the Baptism Preparation Classes, and then within two years be blessed with another child, the parents will not need to attend the program again.

No. Only a practicing Catholic who meets the qualifications can be a godparent or sponsor. However, a non-Catholic, baptized Christian who participates in the Baptism and accepts responsibility for helping raise the child to live a Christian life can participate in the Rite of Baptism as a "Christian Witness" (and so reflected on the baptismal certificate) if a Catholic godparent is also present. Likewise, a Christian who was baptized and confirmed Catholic and now practices in another Christian tradition cannot be either a godparent / sponsor or a Christian Witness. The church requires at least one godparent who is a practicing, confirmed Catholic age 16 or older. That godparent's name is entered into the Parish Record Book as the "official" godparent or sponsor for baptism. Thus, if you wish to have an additional person bear witness at Baptism as a Christian Witness and be listed as such, then you must also have one fully initiated (meaning that they have celebrated Confirmation) Catholic godparent who is not impeded from being a godparent / sponsor as well.

Brothers or sisters of a child to be baptized may indeed be godparents / sponsors providing that they have completed their 16th year of life, have the aptitude and intention of fulfilling this function, be Confirmed Catholic and have celebrated their First Communion and not be bound by any canonical penalty (i.e., such as married outside the Catholic Church). It should be noted that specifics on who can and cannot be a godparent / sponsor is a question that should be brought up early in your Baptism Preparation process.

If the parents were married within the Catholic Church, it is the Catholic parent who is obligated to fulfill the promise of raising their children within the Catholic Faith and our Church. The non-Catholic spouse need not be burdened with the obligation of overseeing that the child be raised in the Catholic Faith. Therefore, only the Catholic parent is obligated to attend Sacramental Preparation classes. However, both Christian and non-Christian spouses married in the Church have confirmed that they understand their Catholic spouse’s obligation and as such will not interfere with that most important duty. All Saints Catholic Church welcomes and encourages the participation of the non-Catholic spouse in the preparation and celebration of their child’s Baptism. Even though the non-Catholic spouse need not be burdened with the obligation of overseeing that the child be raised in the Catholic faith, the non-Catholic Christian spouse is certainly encouraged to participate fully, inclusive of renewing his or her baptismal promises. However, a parent unable to make the Catholic profession of faith may refrain from the profession of faith if they so wish.
Note, the focus of this event is the Baptism of the child, not on any one spouse's religious beliefs. Take care to ask necessary questions about raising a child in a mixed religion household if you and your spouse feel you need more answers.

There is nothing that prevents a child born to parents who are not validly married in the Catholic Church from being baptized. All Saints Catholic Church welcomes with open arms your decision to baptize your child in the Catholic faith. As such, you may wish to discuss having your marriage convalidated (recognized) by the Catholic Church, please contact a priest.

Firstly, the chosen godparent(s) does not need to be a married person. However, if the chosen godparent is married (whether to another Catholic or to a non-Catholic) then they must be married in the Catholic Church in order to be chosen as a godparent.

Nothing prevents a child born to parents who are not married from being baptized within the Catholic church provided that the parent(s) of that child is/are properly disposed, has/have been appropriately prepared, understand(s) the responsibilities that come with having the child baptized and is/are willing to fulfill the commitment undertaken to raise the child in the rich principles of the Catholic faith. Also, at any time, if you would like to discuss preparing for marriage, please contact Barbara Hammond, 972-778-0325 or .

Sacraments are by their very nature public and communal - indeed, the very name Catholic Church derives from the Greek adjective katholikos meaning "universal" and also has roots in the term "all-embracing" thus so are the sacraments. They are never private actions. When one is baptized, the whole Church celebrates and rejoices. Therefore, the communal nature of the sacrament should be reflected in the manner it is celebrated. All Saints Catholic Church does not encourage private baptisms except in special circumstances which are usually performed in emergency situations.

Because this option requires coordinating with the facility scheduler to "reserve" the church space, please contact the Baptism Coordinator before beginning any other portion of the Baptism Preparation process. If you have completed the Baptism Preparation requirements for your local parish and you can provide documentation proving such, please have your family priest/deacon fill out the proper paperwork and send it to the All Saint’s Religious Education office. After approval of all documentation, a member of the All Saints staff will contact you - either by email or phone - to have your Rite of Baptism queued up in schedule.

“Disability, of itself, is never a reason for deferring Baptism.” If the child has mentally and emotionally reached the age of discretion (age 7) and has not been baptized the child is invited to participate in the RCIA for Children process where they will prepare for all their Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist). However, if the child is over the age of discretion physically, yet their cognitive age is below the age of discretion due to a disability, then the child can be baptized without participating in the RCIA process. Concerns or questions can be discussed in further detail during your initial contact.

It is important that the parish be able to properly identify and verify the child’s birth information (i.e. parent’s names, legal name of child, etc.) when preparing the Baptism Certificate. It can take up to 3 months after the child is born to receive the birth certificate. A copy of a state issued birth certificate for children must be in the parish office prior to scheduling the baptism.

There is nothing in particular that you need to bring to the Baptism beyond, of course, the parties of interest such as yourself, the child, sponsors, godparents, any Christian Witnesses, and family and friends as you see fit. It is suggested that you dress your child in white. The parish will provide you with a Baptism candle.