Baptisms at St. Clare are held once a month on Saturdays at 12:30pm. Parents are expected to attend two preparation sessions prior to the Baptism. Please bring the child’s birth certificate when you come to meet with a priest or deacon to register your child for Baptism.

We can baptize children from infancy up to and including 7 years old. When a child has reached his or her 8th birthday, the child needs to participate in faith formation in order to be baptized. Contact the Rectory at (718) 341-1018 for more information.

Preparing for Baptism

If you are an adult and would like to prepare for baptism, the ordinary course for receiving the Sacrament of Baptism is the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. RCIA is typically a two-year long process in which one engages with a group of other believers as they break open the Scriptures, and understand how Christ has spoken to us, and what the demands are of the Christian faith. When a person feels that they are prepared to receive the Sacrament of Baptism, they then receive it together with the Sacrament of Confirmation and the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ. 

If you have a child over the age of seven but not more than 18 years of age, that child would go through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Children (RCIC). This typically is a several years-long process by which the child learns about the faith, is able to make a mature decision to embrace the Christian faith and living as a Catholic, the child is then Baptized, and then receives Confirmation and Holy Communion. 

If you have a child under seven years of age, including newborns, your child may be baptized directly by a priest or deacon. Baptism is the sacrament by which one is freed of sin and brought into the life of the Church. When you are preparing a child for baptism, the consent of both mother and father is required. The mother and father will select a man and a woman to act as the child's godmother and godfather. At least one of the godparents must be a practicing Catholic (having had all of the Sacraments of Initiation, and if married, was married in the Church). The other godparent may be a Christian of any denomination, as long as they are Baptized. This is because the godparents will answer the questions on behalf of the child, such as: Do I believe in God? Do I believe in the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, and the resurrection of the Body? They must have this faith themselves, that they might be able to communicate these beliefs to children.