Baptism

We are excited that you have chosen to have your child baptized here at OLPH, and we look forward to helping you bring your child into the Catholic Faith. Infant Baptism is for children from newborn to age 6. The following are requirements for parents and godparents:
 

• There must be a founded hope that the child being baptized will be brought up in the Catholic religion
• Parents & godparents must attend a baptismal preparation class (unless they have taken a class within the last 5 years). Classes may be taken at OLPH or another Catholic Church. 
• Requests for baptism may only be made by a child’s parent or legal guardian
• Non-parishioners must provide a letter of permission from their home parish (unless you live within the boundaries of OLPH)
• A godparent must be a practicing Catholic in good standing with the Church
  • They must have received the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Holy Communion, & Confirmation)
  • If they are married, they must be married in the Catholic Church
  • You may have two godparents, one male and one female. Only one godparent is required.

1. Submit registration form (see registration form button below). Registration also may be done in-person in parish office.
2. Gather the necessary documents (see below).
3. Have parents & godparent(s) take a Baptism class if they have not taken one in last 5 years. 
4. Someone from the OLPH office will email you to schedule a time for you to bring in your documents to the parish office.
5. At your scheduled appointment time, you will drop off your documents, pay the $40 registration fee, and schedule your child's Baptism.
***Baptism will not be officially scheduled until Step 5. 

• Baptisms are generally scheduled at 9:00am in English and 10:30am in Spanish on the first Saturday of each month. 
• Children are encouraged to come dressed in a white garment to the baptismal ceremony.
• A Baptismal candle will be furnished by the parish to the family of each child (you are welcome to bring your own candle, however).
• An official Certificate of Baptism will be provided to the parents after the ceremony.
• The Baptismal registration fee of $40.00 will be accepted at the time of your appointment at the parish office to drop off your documents.

1. Child's Birth Certificate
2. Godfather's Confirmation Certificate
3. Godfather's Catholic Marriage Certificate (unless single)
4. Godmother's Confirmation Certificate
5. Godmother's Catholic Marriage Certificate (unless single) 
6. Parent's Baptismal class certificate
7. Godparent's Baptismal class certificate
8. Letter of Permission from your parish (unless OLPH is your parish)

When: Classes begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. and are typically the second Tuesday of every month.
Place: Notre Dame Hall; 333 8th Street, Clovis CA 93612
Cost: $10/parent $10/godparent

LAS CLASES DE BAUTISMO EN ESPANOL SON POR CITA CON LA HERMANA MARTA ARTEAGA. 
Costo: $10/padres  $10/padrinos 

All participants must be pre-registered. Please call the parish office to register over the phone, or register at the parish office in person.
Drop-ins at the class cannot be accomodated. 

Parents and godparents are required to attend a baptismal preparation class (unless they have attended one within the last 5 years). If godparents are from another area, they may attend in their own parish. Those baptizing in other parishes are welcome to attend our class. All those in attendance will receive a Baptismal Preparation Class Certificate upon completion.

 

Private Baptisms: Due to the size of our parish, we are unable to do private baptisms (with the exception of a serious condition such as the child's medical condition).

Godparents in Sacramental Preparation: To qualify as a Godparent, a person must have already received their sacraments. If they are in the process of receiving Confirmation or having their Marriage blessed by the Church and you wish for them to be the Godparents to your child, the baptism may be arranged after they receive their sacrament(s).

Multiple Godparents? A child may only have one Godfather and/or Godmother. At least one Godparent is required. 

Godparents' Certificates: If the Godparent(s) does not have access to their certificates, they must contact the parish where they received their Sacraments to have the church print them new certificates. If the Godparents received their Confirmation in another country, they must contact the local diocese in that country to obtain a new certificate. 

Preparation for Baptism: Ages 7-17
Students will receive Catholic initiation instruction similar to the OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults). The number of students preparing for Baptism will determine the time and day of class. Please contact office@olphclovis.org for more information.