As you are seeking for baptism of your child at Bugembe Catholic Church, the following guidelines are presented to help you embark upon this journey of faith with Christ and his Church.
Baptism is the sacrament of faith which has the Risen Christ as its source, and it is the offer of salvation for all people. Intimately linked to Confirmation and to Eucharist, Baptism is, with these two sacraments, Christian Initiation. The child is baptized in the faith of their parents, godparents and of the Church.
Parents are responsible for bringing their child to the Church for the Sacrament of Baptism as soon as after birth. Except in-cases of danger of death or birth of twins in some cultures, the Child can be Baptized from the place of birth or home.
In order that a child be baptized, it is necessary that the parents’ consent or at least one of them, or someone legally standing in their place, and that there is reasonable hope that the child will be brought up in the Catholic Faith.
GODPARENTS:
A person may only have one Godparent (also called sponsor); if the Child is a male then the Godparent should be male and if the Child is female, the Godparent should also be female.
- In order for someone to be eligible as a godparent they must be chosen by the parents, have the ability and the intention to fulfill the role, be at least 16 years of age, and be a confirmed Roman Catholic, who has already received the Most Holy Eucharist, is leading a life in harmony with the Catholic Faith (including Marriage) and will be a good role model for the one being baptized, and be neither the father nor the mother of the child.
- A baptized person who belongs to another Christian community may be admitted only as a “Christian witness” (not a Godparent) provided that there is at least one Roman Catholic Godparent who fulfills the above criteria. A non-baptized person cannot be a witness (Code of Canon Law, cc. 872-874; Catechism of the Catholic Church 1255).
- Those intending to baptize their Children will have to attend two (2) catechisms / Instructions of baptism together with the Child’s Godparent.
- Parents Should choose Christian names for their Children from the directory of names for saints.
Those children already baptized in other Christian communities will be prepared to make a profession of faith into the Catholic Church and will receive the sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation in the rite of Reception into Full Communion with the Catholic Church.
Schedule for Baptism for Infants
• Baptism Instructions (Catechism) – This is done every 1st and 2nd Sunday of every third month after second mass at Bugembe Catholic Church in the Muwumba Memorial Banda.
• Baptism Mass – This is done every second Sunday of each third month during the 8:00am Mass in the Church and also on Easter Monday and Holy innocents Day.
Adult Baptism- RCIA
This is done once a year during Easter vigil mass with exception of those going to wed.
Hence the instructions are done throughout the year and climaxed with the adult receiving the sacraments of initiation during the Easter vigil.
