Congratulations and blessings upon your family as you welcome this new child!
We look forward to celebrating your child's Baptism.

CEREMONY

Baptisms are celebrated on select Sundays at 1:00 PM and 1:45 PM. The ceremony is for two families with no more than 50 attendees per family, which includes parents and godparents. The ceremony takes place in the church and will last about 30 minutes. (Ceremony section was revised on October 6, 2023)

Please contact the Parish Office for more information on Baptisms

and to schedule your date: (818) 888-8200.

GODPARENTS - (sponsor=godparent)

(The requirements for a sponsor are laid out in Canon Law (Can. 873-874): 

Each official sponsor/godparent for baptism must meet all of the following:
   1.   Be at least sixteen (16) years of age;
   2.   Be a fully initiated Catholic (has been baptized, confirmed, and received First

          Communion);
   3.   Be a practicing Catholic and a Catholic in good standing who leads

          a life of faith necessary to fulfill the responsibility of being a sponsor;
   4.   Attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation;
   5.   One must either not be married or be in a recognized Catholic marriage*.

* Please note: Catholics who are invalidly married, as for example, before

   a justice of the peace, without proper dispensation before a minister

   of a Protestant church or before a rabbi, or those Catholics who are

   divorced and invalidly remarried do not qualify as a sponsor at baptism

                 even though they may fulfill other requirements listed above;

   6.    If single, may not be cohabiting with someone without the benefit of marriage;
   7.    May not be the father or the mother of the person to be baptized;

    8.   There is to be only one male sponsor or one female sponsor or one of each.
 

We hope that parents will choose godparents who will take an active role in the faith formation of their child.

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. If you choose more than two godparents, one or two may have their names entered into the book as "official" godparents, and the others can be "honorary" godparents. You don't have to tell them which is which. If you choose two godparents of the same sex, one can be the "official" godparent for the record book, and the other can be the "honorary" one. Baptized non-Catholic Christians may not be "official" godparents for the record book, but they may be Christian witnesses for your child. People who are not baptized Christians cannot be sponsors for baptism, since they themselves are not baptized. However, you may certainly invite non-Christian friends or relatives to attend the celebration and to have a special place in your child's life, sharing with your child their own faith traditions.

PREPARATION

What should my child wear?  A white garment: the white garment that is placed upon us at baptism is a symbol of Christ’s victory over death and his glorious resurrection. Likewise, the white garment or pall that is placed over the coffin at the time of death recalls our baptismal promises and reminds us that we are destined for eternal life. The parish provides a baptismal candle for every child. If your family has one that you want to use, please let the Baptism Ministry Team know on the day of the Baptism.

Currently, we are offering the Baptism Preparation class online via the Los Angeles Archdiocese. Click on the following link: https://lacatholics.org/baptism/

It is a requirement of the Archdiocese that a copy of child's birth certificate and the parents/godparents baptism class certifications, need to be delivered to the Parish Center two weeks PRIOR to the scheduled baptism or we must push back the date.

AGE

Children from birth to 5 years old fall under the guidelines noted above.

Once a child turns 6, it is necessary for the child to attend Faith Formation classes.

Baptism of adults are done during the Easter Vigil, after participation in the OCIA program.

DONATIONS

A donation to the Church is customary, not a requirement.