Dear Parishioners,

I want to write to you about Baptism. There are a number of issues that I find people are confused about that I think could use some clarity.

First, our Church teaches that the grace of Baptism is necessary for salvation. The Catechism explains this teaching clearly saying, “The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation. He also commands his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to all nations and to baptize them. Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament. The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude; this is why she takes care not to neglect the mission she has received from the Lord to see that all who can be baptized are ‘reborn of water and the Spirit.’ God has bound salvation to the Sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments.” (CCC 1257)

Second, the grace of Baptism can be obtained outside the form of the sacrament. While we in the Church are bound to the sacraments and have to be faithful to how they are handed down to us, God is not bound and may give His grace how He wishes. The Church from the most ancient of times have recognized that those who die for the faith receive a baptism by blood and those who pass away before they can fully enter the Church receive a baptism by desire. It is not up to us to judge who is saved and who is not but to follow what Christ has commanded us to do.

Third, the sacraments are still very important. They are the ordinary means of salvation and the only way we can be sure that we have received the graces necessary for salvation. Furthermore, as the Second Vatican document Lumen Gentium states, “Whosoever, therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved.” (LG 14) So, if someone knows the truth of the Church and refuses to enter the church through baptism, they still cannot be saved.

Fourth, the matter and form of the sacrament matter. The Church teaches that a baptism needs to be with water and the minister needs to pour this water three times with the intention of what the Church does saying, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Though water immersion is also acceptable.) If you are attending a baptism and see a minister not following the form of the sacrament by saying, “We Baptize you,” or “in the name of the Creator” or any other formula, then please immediately inform that minister. It is possible that the baptism was not valid and needs to be corrected. If they do not use the proper words and matter even then, it needs to be brought up to a higher authority: first the pastor and then the bishop.

Baptism is the most important and fundamental of all the baptisms and we would do well to treat it seriously.

God bless!

Fr. Carter