The Sacrament of Infant Baptism in the Catechism of the Church Catholic

The baptism of babies and children is addressed in numbers 1250 to 1252 in Article 1 on baptism of the second section of the catechism on the seven sacraments of the Church.

So now, let’s learn more about baptism for babies. Discover the main questions and answers from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Why baptize babies?

The number 1250 reminds us that “Born with a fallen human nature and tainted by original sin, children also have need of the new birth in Baptism to be freed from the power of darkness and brought into the realm of the freedom of the children of God” This number adds that: “The sheer gratuitousness of the grace of salvation is particularly manifest in infant Baptism. The Church and the parents would deny a child the priceless grace of becoming a child of God were they not to confer Baptism shortly after birth.”

Number 1282 provides another part of the answer: “Since the earliest times, Baptism has been administered to children, for it is a grace and a gift of God that does not presuppose any human merit; children are baptized in the faith of the Church. Entry into Christian life gives access to true freedom.”

Baptism is also “necessary for salvation,” number 1277 of the Catechism reminds us.

Who confers the Sacrament of Baptism?

A priest (bishop or priest) or a deacon can confer the sacrament of baptism (no. 1256).

How is the Sacrament of Baptism for a baby celebrated?

Whether it is a baptism for baby or adult, the rite does not change. It consists in immersing the baby in water or pouring water on their head, while invoking the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The celebration is organized around five signs: the sign of the cross, water, white clothing (which parents and/or the godfather and godmother are invited to bring), oil and light, which express the meaning of baptism.

The celebration of a baptism for a baby normally includes the liturgy of the word (the first reading, a psalm, and the gospel), universal prayer, the prayer of exorcism and deliverance, then the rite of baptism with the blessing of water, renunciation of Satan and the profession of faith, then baptism. The celebration normally ends with the recitation of the Our Father and the final blessing. At the end of the celebration, parents, the godfather and the godmother are invited to sign the baptismal registers.

Is a baby who dies before baptism saved?

Number 1283 of the Catechism invites us to trust: “With respect to children who have died without Baptism, the liturgy of the Church invites us to trust in God's mercy and to pray for their salvation.”

And after the baptism of a baby?

For baptized babies, the Catholic Church suggests the other two sacraments of Christian initiation several years later, the Eucharist and Confirmation.

With Hozana, let us pray for the babies who will be baptized !

With Hozana, let us pray for the babies who will be baptized! You can entrust your intention in our different prayer communities.