Jesus answered,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God
without being born of water and Spirit.”
John 3:5

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."
Matthew 28:19-20

• Baptism, the gateway to the sacraments, is necessary for salvation, either by actual reception or at least by desire. By it people are freed from sins, are born again as children of God and, made like to Christ by an indelible character, are incorporated into the Church.
• It is validly conferred only by a washing in real water with the proper form of words.
• Every unbaptized person and only such a person, can be baptized.
• An infant in danger of death is to be baptized without delay.

Please call the Rectory to make arrangements.

Sponsors (Godparents):

For Baptism Sponsors must be in full sacramental communion with the Catholic Church, practicing their religion and and unimpeded from fulfilling their responsibility of witnessing to the integrity of the Catholic faith at the time of the baptism.  Their local parish priest should be able to attest to their readiness to act as sponsors.

They should provide to the rectory office at St. Joseph's their letter of "good standing" or "sponsor/godparent certificate" from their local parish priest as soon as they have agreed to accept the responsibililty.

To be permitted to take on the function of godparent a person must:
1) be designated by the parents of the infant to be baptized, or the person who takes their place, or, in their absence, by the pastor or minister of the sacrament, and have the aptitude and intention of fulfilling this function;
2) have completed their sixteenth year of age, or the pastor or minister of the sacrament has granted an exception for a just cause;
3) be a Catholic who has been Confirmed and has already received the most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist and who leads a life of faith in keeping with the function to be taken on;
4) not be bound by any canonical penalty legitimately imposed or declared;
5) not be the father or mother of the infant to be baptized.
Individuals obstinately persisting in manifest serious sin, particularly anyone living in an illicit marital or cohabiting relationship will not be permitted to serve as sponsors.

Preparation for Holy Matrimony is both of a formal and of a spiritual nature. Formally, documentation is required to determine positively the freedom of both parties to marry in the Church. Spiritually, instruction is required to deepen the couple’s understanding of the dignity of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.

Documents required include:

• baptismal certificates;
• completed pre-nuptial questionnaires;
• freedom-to-marry affidavits; as well as
• any necessary permissions or dispensations.

Instruction includes:

• meeting with the pastor to discuss the spiritual circumstances specific to each couple;
• participation in a local regional marriage-preparation workshop with other couples and instructors;
• completion of a brief course on fertility awareness and how naturally to achieve or to postpone pregnancy concordantly with the purposes of marriage.

The scheduling of weddings outside of normal business hours is subject to the availability of the pastor or other official ministerial witnesses as well as to the availability of the Church and of the disposition of the couple.

In order to remove as much as possible the effects of the scandal of public cohabitation, couples seeking to marry at St. Joseph’s will be expected:

• to express their resolution to refrain from living together until their wedding day.

Couples who move-in with each other and begin living together as spouses before their wedding will lose the privilege of reserving-in-advance the wedding at the church. This is to avoid the scandal that harms both the faithful as well as the dignity of marriage.

Couples who are already civilly married and who are unable to separate due to the needs of any children will discuss this with the pastor prior to scheduling the wedding.

Couples will be encouraged to grow in the practice of their religion, making frequent use of the Sacrament of Confession and participation in Holy Communion, as well as recourse to prayer and devotion to Our Lady and to Our Lord’s Real Presence in the Most Holy Eucharist.

Marriage preparation meetings, the assembling of the proper documents and the completion of instruction typically takes several months. Couples should, therefore, contact the Pastor as early in their engagement as possible in order to come up with a preparation plan that best accommodates the needs of the couple as well as the Church.

If a parishioner is seriously sick and would like to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick either at home or in the hospital, or if someone becomes homebound and would like to receive Holy Communion at home, please call the Rectory to make arrangements.