Infant Baptism

Welcome to the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament parish and the information area concerning having your baby baptized. We hope this information is helpful. Feel free to contact us at 202.449.4618.

“Jesus sent the disciples out to baptize and from that time until today, there is a chain in the transmission of the faith through Baptism. Each of us is a link in that chain. We’re always moving ahead like a river. Through Baptism, we enter the people of God. We transmit our faith to our children, and when they are grown up, they transmit the faith to their children. And that is how God’s grace works. This is most important: We are the people of God who walk and transmit the faith.”

Pope Francis on Baptism, January 13, 2018

REQUIREMENTS

• Complete Baptismal program, attend 2 sessions: 1 parent led, 1 clergy led (sign up for sessions by contacting Rosalie Days at baptism@blessedsacramentdc.org or 202.449.4618 with the dates of the sessions you wish to attend)
• Decide which group baptism you wish to attend: every month Blessed Sacrament offers a group baptism on the 2^nd Saturday and 4^th Sunday (private baptisms will have to be arranged through email, please read below for details)
• Fill out Baptismal form, which will  be sent to you, once you know what date your child will be baptized and once you have chosen the godparents. Baptism preparation is not complete until the form has been returned to the office.

THE BAPTISMAL PROGRAM

The Baptism preparation program is designed to help parents better understand the religious significance and meaning behind the use of symbols during your child's Baptism ceremony.  We will also equip you with some concrete, practical suggestions for raising your children in the Catholic Faith and tradition. The program consists of two sessions, which can be attended in any order.  Sessions are held once every two months at 1:45 p.m. in the parish center. When you attend a session, it is recommended that you park in the parking area between the church and the school and enter the parish center by the door to the right of the glass entrance. The doors from Quesada Street may not be open.

PLEASE NOTE WELL:  Sometimes due to extenuating circumstances in the parish, this schedule may be subject to change at any time regarding the place of baptism (i.e., a baptism in the church may be moved to the Parish Center Chapel or vice versa).  A change may also occur at any given time regarding the priest or deacon scheduled to preside over the baptism.  Parents will be notified in advance as soon as we are aware of the situation.  This is why we request an email address on the form so we can inform parents of any change(s) that may occur.
 

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THE SCHEDULE OF BAPTISMAL PREP SESSIONS FOR 2018–2019:

Session led by a priest or deacon: deals with the meaning of baptism, the Rite of Baptism, and the symbols in the rite. All sessions will be held from 1:45 - 2:45 p.m. in the parish chapel. Space is limited, the cutoff to sign up is 1 week before a class by emailing: baptism@blessedsacramentdc.org:

• Sunday, August 5, 2018 with Fr. O -(SIGN UP BY JULY 29)
• Sunday, October 7, 2018 with Deacon Mays -(SIGN UP BY SEPT 30)
• Sunday, December 2, 2018 with Fr. Foley -(SIGN UP BY NOV 25)
• Sunday, February 3, 2019 with Fr. Alec -(SIGN UP BY JAN 27)
• Sunday, March 31, 2019 with Deacon Angell - (SIGN UP BY MAR 24)
• Sunday, June 2, 3019 with Fr. O - (SIGN UP BY MAY 26)

Session led by parents: deals with the faith journey of the parents, the rituals and traditions of the Catholic faith, and the responsibility and joy of being the first teachers of the children in matters of faith. All sessions will be held from 1:45 - 3:15 p.m. in the main level of the parish center. Space is limited, the cutoff to sign up is 1 week before a class by emailing: baptism@blessedsacramentdc.org:

• Sunday, September 9, 2018 – (SIGN UP BY SEPT 2)
• Sunday, October 14, 2018 – (SIGN UP BY OCT 7)
• Sunday, November 4, 2018 – (SIGN UP BY OCT 28)
• Sunday, January 6, 2019 – (SIGN UP BY DEC 30)
• Sunday, March 3, 2019 – (SIGN UP BY FEB 24)
• Sunday, April 7, 2019 – (SIGN UP BY MAR 31)
• Sunday, May 5, 2019 – (SIGN UP BY APR 28)

Attend sessions, if required:

a. Those having their first child baptized: Are required to attend both sessions
b. Those who have had children baptized at other parishes (who have NOT completed a baptism preparation program at another parish): Are required to attend the session led by parents
c. Those who took part in our program more than five years ago: Are asked to attend the meeting led by parents
d. Those who have attended a baptism program at any Catholic Parish within the past five years are asked to get a notice from that parish, and are then exempt from additional classes and only need to schedule their child’s baptism date.
 

GROUP BAPTISM

Every month, Blessed Sacrament offers a group baptism where families sign up to attend a pre-scheduled group baptism where a given number of families gather for infant baptisms that are done individually. Every family will be given an individual time for their child’s baptism and plenty of time and space for individual and private photos. We highly encourage group baptisms, since they are the easiest and fastest way of scheduling your child’s baptism, the church and a priest/deacon are already scheduled for you – below you can check for immediate availability.

SEPTEMBER 2018

• Saturday, September 8th - Chapel at noon with Fr. O
• Sunday, September 23rd - Church at 2 p.m. with Fr. D'Silva

OCTOBER 2018

• Saturday, October 13th - Chapel at noon with Fr. Alec
• Sunday, October 21st - Church at 2 p.m. with Deacon Mays

NOVEMBER 2018

• Saturday, November 3rd - Chapel at noon with Fr. Foley
• Sunday, November 25th - Church at 2 p.m. with Deacon Flynn

DECEMBER 2018

• Saturday, December 1st - Chapel at noon with Fr. O
• Sunday, December 23rd - NO GROUP BAPTISM

JANUARY 2019

• Saturday, January 5th - Chapel at noon with Fr. O
• Sunday, January 27th - Church at 2 p.m. with Fr. Foley

FEBRUARY 2019

• Saturday, February 2nd - Chapel at noon with Deacon Angell
• Sunday, February 24th - Church at 2 p.m. with Fr. Alec

MARCH 2019

• Saturday, March 2nd- Chapel at noon with Deacon Mays
• Sunday, March 24th - Church at 2 p.m. with Fr. D'Silva

APRIL 2019

• Saturday, April 6th - Chapel at noon with Deacon Flynn
• Sunday, April 21st - NO GROUP BAPTISM

MAY 2019

• Saturday, May 4th - Chapel at noon with Fr. Foley
• Sunday, May 26th - Church at 2 p.m. with Fr. Alec

JUNE 2019

• Saturday, June 1st - Chapel at noon with Fr. O
• Sunday, June 23rd - Church at 2 p.m. with Fr. D'Silva

 

To register for a Group Baptism, please email baptism@blessedsacramentdc.org.

 

PRIVATE BAPTISM

Due to various circumstances, you may need to arrange a private baptism – in this case, you will need to provide several dates and times that will work with your schedule several months in advance. Please email baptism@blessedsacramentdc.org with your desired dates. Due to the large number of requests, we cannot guarantee the dates you select, so please be patient as we coordinate schedules until we find a date/time that works.

BAPTISMAL FORM

***Baptismal forms will be emailed to you from Rosalie Days

Once you have the date of the baptism and the godparents, you will need to fill out a baptismal form. If you have chosen to partake in a group baptism, please indicate on the form what date you have selected. A priest/deacon and the location are already booked for a group baptism.