Baptism

Interested in having yourself or your child baptized?

Wonderful! We are glad that you have heard and responded to God’s call to become part of His family. It is in baptism that we brought into the family of God; the Church! It is through the sacrament of Baptism that God places His very life inside; which we call grace. Through this new life, a new character is stamped into the very core of who we are, leaving an indelible mark on us, and giving us gifts and talents to make God visible to others through our lives.

There’s plenty more we could say about Baptism, but that’s why we have something called Baptism Preparation. In these sessions, parents will explore the various realities of baptism, what it does, and what it means for the parents (and godparents)!

Requirements for a child’s Baptism:

• Newborn to 6 years old
• Parents are members of St. Lawrence Catholic Church or have a letter from their pastor of another Catholic parish giving permission to have your child baptized in another parish.
• Contact Audrey Boston at aboston@stlawrence.org or 813-875-4040 to register for a parent preparation class before the birth of the child, if possible.
• Parents and godparents attend a class before the baptism.

You will receive the Baptism Register form and Godparent Promise form after you contact Audrey Boston to register for the class.

The godparent(s) will need to be able to make all the promises and then take to their parish to have own pastor for his signature and church seal”.

The paperwork must be received before a baptism date is chosen.

Once received and completed, email the form to aboston@stlawrence.org along with a copy of the child’s birth certificate.

 Who can be a Godparent?

Godparents are the link between the parents and the Church and help parents to bring up their children in the faith by their witness and prayers.

Requirements of a godparent:

• At least 16 years old
• Confirmed in the Catholic Church
• Live a life of faith in harmony with the the Catholic Church duty he/she is undertaking (see the promises)
• Not one of the parents of the child being baptized
• One Catholic godparent is required for baptism
• Maximum of two (one male and one female) can be recorded in the baptism register
• One of the sponsors may be a baptized non-Catholic Christian witness of the baptism.

 Fill out the form below and then send and contact Audrey Boston at aboston@stlawrence.org or 813-875-4040

Taking the first step

Your first step to getting your child baptized is to contact one of our dedicated staff members:

English Baptism Classes

Spanish Baptism Classes

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Additional Information:

Please contact the parish office to let us know you need an invitation to our scheduled Baptism Class:

Each person will need to arrive before the 7:00 p.m. start time and sign in as a parent or godparent. If you will need a letter showing attendance to give to a different parish, let Audrey know when registering for the class the name of the person attending the class, the Pastor’s name, church, and the address of the church where the baptism will be held. If given in time, Audrey will have the attendance certificate ready for you to take with you after the class.

Información Adicional:

Por Favor, comuníquese con la oficina parroquial para informarnos que necesita una invitación para atender la clase de preparación de bautismo programada: Padres y padrinos deben llegar 15 minutos antes de la hora de inicio de las 7:00 PM y llenar el registro de atendencia. Si necesita una carta que muestre asistencia de la clase para dar a otra parroquia, cuando se comunique con Audrey o Luisa para registrarse para la clase, infórmele el nombre de la persona que asistirá a la clase, el nombre del párroco de la otra Iglesia, nombre de la iglesia y la dirección de la iglesia donde se llevará a cabo el bautismo. Si lo entrega a tiempo, el certificado de asistencia estará listo para que lo pueda llevar después de la clase.