Baptism

The celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism in the Parish of Antrim

The decisive moment in history for a Christian is the death and resurrection of Jesus. Through baptism each of us shares in this reality and becomes an adopted daughter or son of God and is freed from sin. Thenewly baptised person begins a new relationship in their life that brings them the love of God the Father, the grace of Jesus Christ and the dynamism of the Holy Spirit. By asking for baptism for their child, parents are recognising their personal responsibility in handing on the faith by training their child in the practice of that faith.  It is the duty of parents to bring their child up to keep the commandments by loving God and neighbour.

Baptism Visit

The Parish community wishes to emphasise the importance of this sacrament and wants to assist parents who wish to have their child baptised.  This assistance takes the form of visitation to the home of those parents who have requested baptism.  A member of the baptism team, namely, Mary Gallagher, Kay McGuinness or, Bernie Abernethy will arrange to visit at a mutually convenient time.  During the visit the details will be taken and the liturgy of the sacrament will be reflected on with parents.

Mary Gallagher

Bernie Abernethy

Kay McGuinness

It will be necessary to produce the Birth Certificate of the child in question as the details on the baptism register must match those on the certificate.

Godparents

Usually there are two Godparents (Godmother and Godfather) whose role it would be to accompany the child through life.  They become a friend to the child; give witness to the child of what it means to live a Christian life; and pray for them and, at times, with them.  The choice of Godparents is important because they will be supporting and helping parents in the task of handing on the faith to their godchild.  For baptism in the Catholic tradition, one Godparent must be a practicing Catholic and over 16 years of age.  It is possible to have a Godparent who is of another Christian tradition and they can act as a witness to the child’s baptism.

Name for your Child

In naming a child it has always been the tradition of the Church to have the name of a saint.  There are many saint’s names to choose from and being called after a particular saint means you and your child can pray to and learn about the saint.

When?

In the parish we celebrate the sacrament of baptism on Saturday morning

  • Saturday
  • The ceremony begins at 11.15am

The member of the Baptism Team will arrange the date with you. It is requested that photographs and videos are taken after the ceremony.

To arrange a baptism, phone the parish office at 028 9442 8016 giving at least one month’s notice.