Celebrating the precious gift of your child
Congratulations on the birth of your child. The gift of a child is one of the most precious and life-changing blessings that anyone can ever experience, and we wish you and your child every joy and blessing into the future.
We are delighted that you are interested in baptising your child and we hope that the information that follows will help you to understand the true significance of baptism and how you can go about organising your child’s baptism in our family of parishes.
Planning your child’s baptism in our family of parishes
BaptismBaptisms are celebrated regularly in the different Churches within our community.
- In Clogheen-Kerry Pike at 4:00pm on two Saturdays each month
- In Farranree at 4:00pm on two Saturdays each month
- In Gurranabraher on Saturdays, generally at 2:30pm
- In Knocknaheeny-Hollyhill at 4:00pm on two Saturdays each month
The exact dates for baptisms in each Church in the coming months are available from each of our Parish Offices. Some dates may already be booked out so we advise families to contact the Parish Office well in advance. To book a baptism please contact the Parish Office. You will need to provide a copy of the child’s Birth Certificate for the registration of your child’s baptism. The parish secretary will also inform you of the time of the preparation meeting for baptisms.
The Significance of Baptism
Baptism: A Celebration of our dignity as children of God
Baptism celebrates the gift of your child’s life and their dignity as a child of God, loved by God and precious to God. Beyond baptism, the journey of faith is to become fully that which we already are - daughters and sons of God, brothers and sisters in Christ.
Baptism: A Moment of Commitment by parents and godparents
In baptism parents/guardians promise to share their Christian faith and values with their children. They do so primarily by the witness of their lives and the power of their example. It is in the home that children learn and experience trust, love, faith and hope and parents are the first and most important teachers of their children in the ways of faith.
Godparents accompany parents in this commitment and support the child in their journey of faith as they grow up. In order to give authentic witness, a godparent should be a person who seeks to live their Christian faith and is willing to support their godchild’s faith by their example, prayer and encouragement. For this reason, the Church requests that families choose two godparents, a man and a woman, who are at least 16 years of age, who have been baptised and confirmed, and who understand the commitment they are undertaking to support the child in their faith as they grow up.
Baptism: A moment for thanksgiving and prayer
In baptism we give thanks to God for the gift of new life which is fruit of the parent’s love. We ask God to bless the child, their parents and the entire family and to continue to watch over them, protect them and to enrich their lives as the child continues to grow and develop.
Baptism: An expression of faith
By asking for baptism for your child, even if you don’t think of yourself as very religious, you are recognising that God is part of your life and that the gift of your child is a wonderful blessing from God. By asking for your child to be baptised, you are expressing your openness to God and inviting the Lord to be with your family as your child grows and develops into the unique gift in our world that God wishes them to become.
The Celebration of Baptism
Welcome and blessings
The celebrant welcomes the children and their families. The parents/guardians proclaim the child’s name, and they and the godparents declare their commitment to sharing their faith with the child. The children are blessed with the sign of the cross on the forehead and with the Oil of Baptism / Catechumens on the chest as a way of asking God to protect them from all evil and to keep them safe from all harm.
The Word of God
We listen to the Word of God because it is in and through it the Bible that we come to know the story of Jesus and the love of God. We offer our Prayers of Intercession for the children, their families and the needs of our world.
Profession of Faith and Baptism
After blessing the baptismal water, the parents and godparents profess their faith, and the child is then baptised by the pouring on of water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Gestures and Symbols
A series of gestures follows the baptism. These are joyful ways of expressing what baptism means. Each child is anointed on the head with the perfumed Oil of Chrism, which is a sign of being chosen and blessed by God. The white garments symbolise the child’s dignity as a child of God. Each child’s baptismal candle is lit from the Easter Candle as an expression that they now share in the life of the Risen Jesus who is our light and hope. The blessing of the ears and mouth expresses our hope that the child will come to hear and proclaim God’s word as they grow older.