Infant Baptisms are held every Sunday during Mass (except during Lent). The following is a list of the requirements for baptism at our parish. When you have completed all that is needed, please bring the documents to the parish office and we will schedule the baptism on a Sunday Mass according to the availability of both your schedule and ours.

Baptism Checklist:

• Parents must attend one of our Baptismal Preparation Classes held on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. or on the third Saturday of the month at 10 a.m. You will receive a certificate of attendance that you will need to bring to the office. (The baptismal class only lasts about 1 ½ hours and will answer many questions about the sacrament itself, what to expect from the Church and what the Church expects from the parents and the godparents with respect to this child.)
• You need at least one godparent, but may have two (a man and a woman). Those chosen to be godparents must be confirmed and active Catholics. Please provide the following to our parish office:
  • A copy of the Confirmation certificate is required for each godparent.
  • A baptismal preparation class is strongly suggested if one is available where they live
  • If they are not parishioners of St. John Neumann, a signed and sealed letter from their own pastor must be provided to our office which states that they are active and participating parishioners.
• After attending the Baptismal preparation class, you will need to witness a couple of baptisms here at our church (but not on the same weekend). To provide documentation of this, please have the presiding priest sign a bulletin for you. Save the two bulletins and present them with your other documents.
• A copy of the child’s birth certificate
• Complete the sacristy record given to you at the Baptism Class. It must be signed by both natural parents. If one parent is deceased, please provide copy of death certificate.
• If the child is adopted, please provide a copy of adoption papers.

The suggested donation associated with the handling of all these things is $50.00 and should be taken care of at the time of scheduling. Please note that if the preparations are made and you do not show up for the scheduled time of the baptism, the fee is non-refundable.

What is a Godparent?
“Godparents are persons who act as sponsors for persons who are to be baptized. Historically, the sponsors were baptized Catholics who assisted adult converts during their preparation period and attested to their preparedness when they were presented for Baptism. When infant Baptism became the norm, the sponsors, together with the parents, presented the child for Baptism. Traditionally, It has been the responsibility of the sponsors or godparents, to assist the parents in the Catholic education of the child, or if the parents were negligent in this regard, to see to this education themselves.
Sponsors are called for at Baptism and Confirmation. The law requires that there be one sponsor of each sex, but also allows for having only one sponsor if necessary. They must be practicing Catholics, chosen for Baptism by the candidate or by his or her parents, be at least sixteen years of age, not bound by any canonical penalty and not the parent of the one baptized. In the revised law, provision is made for non-Catholic Christians who may, together with a sponsor, act as a witness at the Baptism. Non-Catholics, however, may not be godparents as such.
The revised Code suggests but does not mandate that the sponsors at Confirmation be the same as those who were sponsors at the Baptism of a person. The reason for this is to emphasize the continuity between Baptism and Confirmation, both being integral steps in the overall Rite of Initiation. The requirements for the sponsors at Confirmation are the same as those for Baptism (cf. Canons 872-874, 892-893).”