How to Prepare for Your Child's Baptism

Baby Ally

For Catholics, baptizing a child is a momentous event in the life of a family. It is a celebration and thanksgiving to God of the gift of life and the start of the spiritual journey of the child.

On our first year anniversary on November 17, 2013, we will welcome our daughter Aleandra Carmelle to the Christian World with many things to celebrate and be thankful about. As you have read in my previous post,  My Life Changing Journey to Motherhood, having Baby Ally was not an easy journey but in the end our Faith in Him prevailed. Now it's about time to give Him back all honor and glory.

Preparing for Ally's christening did not take us long. In fact, if you have the resources you can prepare a simple christening celebration in as short as 2 weeks. In our case, we prepared for her baptism one month in advance which I think isn't enough time if I wished for a more detailed celebration.

1. Church preparation - the christening's most important part. Choosing a church depends on your decision. Some parents wanted to their children to be christened in the church where they were married or baptized. Being sentimental is not a problem. However, the church has a requirement that the family's residence is within the coverage of the church. If not, they will ask for permission from your church of residence. In our case, our residence was part of the area of the parish.

The following are the major requirements:

a. Marriage Certificate - bring the original and submit a photocopy
b. Birth Certificate - bring the certified true copy and submit a photocopy
c. Baptism Fee - the amount depends on the church, fee for individual baptism is higher compared to mass baptism
d. Baptismal Dress/Attire - the child must wear white during the ceremony, a white cloth is also required for drying up. Parents and primary sponsors must wear white tops.
e. Baptismal Candle - it depends on the church whether the baptismal candle must be availed in the local parish or be brought by the family
f. Sponsor's Candle - there are churches that also offer candles for sponsors but usually these are brought by the family
g. Seminar - nowadays, seminar for parents and primary sponsors are required by the church. Parents choose the schedule of the seminar which is done a week prior to the baptism date. The duration of the seminar vary depending on the church.
h. List of Primary sponsors - this is the list of godmothers and godfathers of the child. The church also set the maximum number of the allowed sponsors. A sponsor fee shall also be paid by each godparent.

2. Celebration - the second part of the program is the celebration. This is where the family, relatives and friends celebrate the milestone of the new member of the family. Here are the essential things to prepare for the celebration in no particular order:

a. Venue - it is best to choose a venue near the church to avoid the intricacies in transporting the guests. Some parents opt for baptism packages from restaurants which already include the venue and other details.

b. Food - part of the celebration is the food. Let us admit that this is also an essential matter to keep in mind. Food must be enough for the number of invited guests. It is best to hold the celebration in a restaurant where supply of food is not an issue. So for catered food, RSVP is a must to inform your caterer a week prior of the number of guests to avoid shortage.

c. Sounds - music adds to the mood of the celebration. So the choice of music must also be taken into consideration during the ceremony. If your baby is still an infant, it is best to keep sounds as subtle as possible. This will avoid him/her being fussy at the same time invoke an environment where everyone can go back being a child.

d. Photo coverage -this is a must and it is up to the parents to splurge on this item. Memories are best preserved in photos and the nicer they are the stronger will be the feeling of nostalgia.

e. Souvenir - a little keepsake wouldn't hurt. Seeing your child's cute face in a souvenir is a treasure you can't trade with any riches in the world.

f. Invitations - whether it is an intimate or a mass celebration, a formal invitation is necessary. This will serve as reminder to the guests of the place and time of the baptism.

g. Guests List - guest list will dictate on the amount of food to prepare and preparations for the venue.

h. Others - these are nice-to-haves but are not important especially for budget conscious parents.
              h.1 Video coverage - this is a pricey service and with the advent of smartphones,
                     this is not necessary
              h.2 Party theme - parents can choose a Hello Kitty or Cars themed party, but this
                     kind of celebration is usually apt for birthdays
              h.3 Face painting/clowns/additional food carts/loot bags - again these are
                     for birthdays but can be nice-to-have
              h.4 Program - games and other numbers can be inserted during the celebration
                     but should focus more on the child. Activities like singing a song for baby,
                     have people say their wishes etc.
              h.5 Photobooth - this can consume up the time of the guests to avoid boredom 
                    if you don't have a formal program.