The steps involved include:

1. Calling Stacy Golden at 443-261-0105 who will take information about you and your family and your goals for baptism.
2. Attending the Baptismal Preparation Class if you have not attended it in the past 2 years or attended the class at another parish.
3. Selecting Godparents and providing documentation that they are eligible to serve.
4. Arranging a date for the baptism.

Canon Law allows for two (2) Godparents of Record - One female and one male.

Catholics serving as Godparents must:

1. Be mature enough to undertake this responsibility.
2. Have received the three sacraments of initiation, namely Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.
3. Be at least 16 years old (or have the pastors permission).
4. Know the fundamentals of the faith and be a practicing Catholic who goes to Mass on Sunday.
5. Be canonically free to carry out the office (e.g., if married, married in the Catholic church).
6. Not be parents of the child.

A baptized, practicing Christian of another denomination can serve in place of one of the Catholic Godparents, provided there is a Catholic Godparent. However, a non-confirmed or non-practicing Catholic cannot serve as the second Godparent, even if there is a confirmed, practicing Catholic Godparent.

Being a Godparent is not just an honor given to a good friend or relative. Being a Godparent requires a real appreciation and personal practice of the faith, as well as a sense of responsibility toward the person being baptized. Therefore, one should not ask a relative to be a Godparent simply because he or she is a relative.  A good rule of thumb in selecting Godparents is to ask if they would be a good coach to help your child become a disciple of Jesus and a faithful Catholic.

It is the policy of St. John's that each Catholic Godparent provide a certification of eligibility. This verification can be obtained from his or her CURRENT parish office and should be turned in to St. Johns at least 2 weeks prior to the baptism.  To obtain one, have the Godparent call his/her Church office, explain that he/she has been asked to be a Godparent and ask for some kind of statement that he/she is eligible to serve as a Godparent.  Many parishes have forms specifically for this, occasionally a parish writes a letter.  Whatever they normally do is acceptable to us.

Baptisms are generally scheduled:

1. At Weekend Masses (outside of Lent, Advent, and Christmas Seasons) provided there is no other special event taking place at the particular mass. Only one family will be scheduled at a given mass. Weekend masses include the Saturday 5:15, Sunday 7:30, 9:15, 11:00 AM and 5:15 PM Masses.
2. Most Saturdays at Noon. Between one and four families may be scheduled each Saturday. These services include just the baptism, so you would need to attend mass at another time that weekend. Occasionally, we change the time of the baptism to 11 AM or 1 PM to accommodate other church events, so please contact Stacy to confirm a date before inviting guests.

Conflicts sometimes occur with this general pattern of scheduling, so please contact Stacy Golden to verify the availability of your intended date before contacting guests.

Although it is ideal to have your child baptized at your home parish, we understand that there may be circumstances in which it would be more convenient for a relative if the baptism were here at St. John's. We ask that you go through the baptismal preparation process at your home church and get a letter from them giving our parish permission to perform the baptism.