About Baptism
The Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist are called SACRAMENTS OF INITIATION. In the early church, and today as part of the Christian Initiation of Adults, these three sacraments were received together, traditionally during the Easter Vigil. Children, however, receive them at different stages of their lives. The practice of sacramental initiation of children within the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle is covered by a policy entitled Becoming Disciples: Sacraments of Initiation for Children. A copy of this policy can be found by clicking here.
Baptism is the first Sacrament. It initiates us into the Catholic Christian Community, those who believe that God the Father sent his Son Jesus Christ to live among us, so that, filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit we too, can live in harmony and peace with each other and enjoy eternal happiness in heaven. The waters of Baptism commit us to dying to our old way of life and being reborn to a new life in the Spirit of Jesus.
Baptism is a prerequisite for the reception of other sacraments.
If you are an adult and are thinking about becoming a Catholic, then the first step is contact us and ask how to this might occur. A member of the Parish clergy will arrange to meet with you to discuss the process and how the journey will unfold.
Baptism of Children
It is customary for Baptisms to be conducted during or after one of our Sunday Masses. Other times may be negotiated but are dependent on the availability of one of the Parish clergy.
Before the celebration of Baptism, a member of the Parish clergy will arrange to meet with the parents as part of the preparations. This meeting can take place via Zoom or similar entities if this is necessary.
Parents wishing to celebrate their child's baptism in the Parishes of Dungog & Gresford are asked to complete the form below.
FAQs about Baptism
Since a Godparent is accepting the responsibility of helping the parents of the candidate teach him or her about Jesus and help him or her to grow in the Catholic faith, at least one Godparent has to be a baptised and confirmed Catholic. It is certainly possible for other people who are not Catholic to be registered as a witness to the Baptism.
The Church asks that each person to be baptised has a sponsor, referred to as a Godparent, who will be a mentor for that person as they grow in faith. Where other people want to share that role, they can be recorded as witnesses to the Baptism. The number of ‘Godparents’ is a matter for the person being baptised or their parents to decide. In practice, Parish records may show only 3 or 4 names.
That can be an awkward question. Remembering that the Godparent is committing to helping the candidate to grow in their life as a Catholic, their accessibility, and personal contact is a potentially important factor. This should be discussed with a member of the Parish clergy.
Most baptisms do occur after one of our Sunday Mass or, sometimes, during Sunday Mass, because it is meaningful to have baptism associated with the Mass. However, depending on the availability of the Parish clergy, it can be possible to arrange for other times, so please ask if this is a question for you.
The short answer is we do not ‘sell’ the Sacraments, so there is no ‘cost.' However, traditionally people make a donation on occasions such as this, which goes towards the support of the Parish clergy. The size of the donation is a personal decision for people to make according to their circumstances.
In the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, over many years, the priests have decided to pool such donations centrally to support all the priests of the Diocese.