On behalf of our parish, we congratulate you and thank you for bringing your child to be baptized into the Catholic Faith.  Your child's baptism is a time for celebration and joy for your family and our parish community.

If the parents of the child are not registered parishioners of Holy Rosary, a Letter of Permission must be obtained from their pastor stating that their pastor permits the baptism to take place at our parish.

If the sponsor or the godparent is not a registered parishioner of Holy Rosary, a Sponsor Certificate must be obtained from his or her home parish. 

The mission of the godparent or sponsor is with the parents to present the child for baptism and help the baptized lead a Christian life in harmony with baptism. They sponsor the child’s life in the Catholic Faith. In other words, they bear as much responsibility for the faith life of the baptized child as the parents do for the child. They are to help the parents of the child in passing on the practice of the Catholic faith by helping the child grow in his or her relationship with Jesus Christ, in understanding the beliefs of the Catholic faith, and in familiarity with the rituals, prayers, and practices that accompany those beliefs.

Whenever a person is baptized, as an infant, as a child, or as an adult, there should be at least one person present who will act as sponsor for the one being baptized. the sponsor, commonly referred to as one’s godmother or godfather, accepts the responsibility of helping the person grow in Catholic faith. One who acts as a sponsor for an infant or child agrees to help the parents teach their child about the faith and how to live as a practicing Catholic. One who acts as sponsor for an adult agrees to encourage and support the person, pray with and for the person, and offer whatever help, information, or support is needed while the person is preparing to enter the Church and then is living out the rest of his or her life as a practicing Catholic.”

(United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, 189).

The purpose of a Godparent is to aid the person they sponsor in leading a Christian life in a manner that faithfully fulfills the obligations of the Catholic faith. To do this, they must be living the Catholic faith. The requirements to be accepted into the role of a sponsor within the Catholic Church for Baptism are the same as those of Confirmation. To be a sponsor a person must: 

• be chosen by the person to be baptized, or by the parents or guardians of the child, or, in their absence, by the pastor or minister of the sacrament;
• be at least 16 years old;
• be a Catholic having received the three Sacraments of Christian initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist.  He or she must lead a life in harmony with the faith and the role to be undertaken;
• not be impeded by some canonical penalty;
• not be the father or the mother of the one to be baptized;
• must be one (1) man and/or one (1) woman.