Nuestro Párroco el Padre Wencil y los diáconos entrevistan a padres de familia que están interesados en Bautizar a sus niños menores de 7 años. Para más informes, tome una hoja con todos los papeles que tiene traer para la entrevista. Se encuentran en la pared enfrente del centro de bienvenida.

Para Bautizar en la Iglesia de St. Paul, se pide:
1. Participar en Misa los domingos
2. Venir a la oficina parroquial a una
entrevista con el sacerdote o diacono el PRIMER MARTES DEL MES a las 7 PM
3. Traer a la entrevista COPIA
 FOTOSTATICA de:

1. Certificado de Nacimiento del niño/a
2. Tarjeta de identificación “ID”
        con fotografía de:
3. El papá y la mamá del niño/a
4. El padrino y madrina del niño/a
   4. Traer la Hoja de Convenio del Padrino
      y la Madrina llena y firmada
5. Traer un sobre de colecta dominical  
       para saber si son feligreses inscritos
6. Traer $25 para los libros de
   Bautismo que reciben los papás y  padrinos.
7. Venir a las clases Pre-Bautismales
   (3 clases de 2 horas)

Congratulations! New life is in your midst and it is truly a gift from God.  How blest are you and your family to experience the love of God in such a special way.  We hope that through this experience, you and your family will grow in the Faith of the Church and be open to receive all the graces so freely given by the Holy Spirit at this time.
 
The universal Catholic Church, along with the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, provides guidelines that govern how, when and where baptism is celebrated. Ideally, parents who are requesting baptism for their young children are themselves fully initiated Catholic Christians and are properly married in the Catholic Church. If you are not fully initiated or are not married in the Catholic Church, it is our commitment to help you prepare for these sacraments so that you, too, can share fully in the life of the Church. Parents are the first and most important teachers of the faith and teach most profoundly by their good example. We wish to provide you with all that you need to live out your Catholic faith, properly teach your children the extraordinary beauty of this faith, and raise them in the Church.
 
First Steps for Parents
Meet with the pastor: Fr. Wencil and other clergy members/staff meet individually with parents on the first Tuesday of the month beginning at 7 p.m.  You do not need an appointment. Parents show up, sign in, and are seen on a first-come, first-served basis. Please bring the following to this appointment:

• A copy of both parents’ photo ID (driver’s license, passport, visa, etc.)
• A copy of the godparent’s photo ID (driver’s license, passport, visa, etc.)
• State-issued birth certificate for the child being baptized (If the child has not been born yet, or if you haven’t received this from the state yet, it must be provided before the baptism date can be scheduled or before a baptismal certificate can be issued
• Godfather and/or Godmother Covenant Form(s), if godparents have been decided upon.
• $25 materials fee to cover the cost of items you’ll be given at the baptismal class. The fee for non-parishioners is $50.

 
Both parents are required to complete a baptism class prior to choosing a baptism date for their child. Godparents are not required to attend this class, but it is preferred that they do. Parents and godparents can attend baptism classes at another Catholic Church, but we must receive a letter from the pastor of that church stating that you did so.  Our baptism classes in English take place one Saturday a month, six times a year, from 12:30-4:30 p.m. The sacrament of baptism itself is celebrated the second Sunday of each month with baptisms in English taking place one month and baptisms in Spanish taking place the next month. Baptisms in English take place immediately after the 9 a.m. mass and baptisms in Spanish take place immediately after the 12 p.m. mass.  Dates and times are subject to change as circumstances come up.
 
While the pastor does not have the right to refuse baptism for any child, he does have the right to postpone baptism until he is reasonably sure that the child will be raised in a Catholic Christian environment. As mentioned above, parents in certain circumstances will be encouraged to attend adult faith formation classes.
 
About the Godparents
Children to be baptized need a sponsor or godparent. Canon law and the Catechism of the Catholic Church very clearly outline who is eligible to serve as a godparent.

• Godparents must be fully initiated Catholics (baptized, have received First Holy Communion and are confirmed) and at least 16 years of age. They should be attending mass regularly and receiving God’s grace through participation in the sacrament of reconciliation.
• Catholics married outside the Church, or Catholics who choose to cohabitate outside of the Sacrament of Marriage, are not permitted to be godparents.
• Any Catholic, who has abandoned the faith, even if they now are active members in another Christian Church or community, may not serve as a godparent or as a Christian Witness. They have separated themselves from the Church and cannot serve even as a witness.
• This person cannot be the parent of the child being baptized. If there are two sponsors, one must be a man and one must be a woman.

About the Baptism Classes

One of the charisms of our faith community is that we work hard to be a warm and welcoming community to all. We are a large Catholic parish with a small parish feel. Achieving this small community feeling happens when we intentionally spend time with one another. For this reason, we ask all parents--whether they've been to a baptism class recently or not--to attend our baptism classes every time they bring a child for baptism. While the class certainly leads parents to a deeper understanding of the theology of baptism, emphasis also is placed on growing together in community and the gifts we all have to offer. The wisdom and insight that parents of multiple children raised in the faith have to share is a blessing to those who are celebrating the birth of their first child or are just now returning to the faith.