A message to New Parents & Godparents from the Pastor
Dear Parents/Guardians,
New life is in your midst and it is truly a gift from God. How blest are you and your family to be able to experience the love of God in such a special way. We hope that through the Sacrament of Baptism you and your loved ones will grow in the Faith of the Church and be open to receive all the graces that are so freely given by the Holy Spirit at this time.
To have the Sacrament of Baptism celebrated and recorded by the parish you will need to attend a Baptism preparation course if you have not already done so, and complete all the forms required by the parish and Diocese of Austin.
Currently our parish celebrates approximately 200 infant Baptisms a year and we also coordinate the form transfer and processing of another 100 families with infants to be baptized outside our parish. This is a wonderful blessing for the Church - the Body of Christ! It is also quite a large task and we ask for your patience and understanding as we try to schedule and accommodate, and prepare for each celebration.
God's blessing be upon you and all your family. We are so happy to welcome this special child into the Church.
If you wish to have your child's baptism livestreamed, consider this language for your message to family and friends.
In gratitude, we share our joy at the baptism of our child. Thank you for wanting to be with us as we welcome our precious child into our faith, but your safety is most important. In this time of pandemic when travel and gathering pose serious risks, we invite you to be with us by tuning in to the livestream of the service on the website in the Mass Broadcast window. Here is a link to that portal: https://staustin.org/mass.
If you choose to post the video of the sacrament on the Baptism page, we offer this suggested language to share that posting.
[Name's] baptism will be available for you to revisit at the St. Austin website for 90 days at https://staustin.org/baptism. It will be posted under the date and time of the ceremony, [insert date & time].
If you wish to share a private link (not publicly available on our website or YouTube), we can email you that link after the celebration.
All broadcasted events can be made available for download on request.
Your baby's faith journey begins with you. Where do you begin? The journey to Baptism begins with a call to Pat Lucksinger at 512.477.9471 X 322 or an email to Baptism then, youll need to:
Attend a Baptism Preparation Course (Not necessary if you have done this before).
Schedule a baptism (See forms below).
Choose Godparent(s) (Only one is required).
Provide a copy of the child's birth certificate to verify the date of birth and correct name.
Only one godparent is required for Baptism (c. 873)
A godparent is appointed by the parent/guardian or minister
As a rule, a godparent must be at least sixteen years of age
A godparent(s) must be a baptized Catholic who has received First Communion and the Sacrament of Confirmation, and who lives a life of faith befitting the role of sponsor
A godparent may not labor under any canonical penalties
A godparent cannot be the mother or father of the one to be baptized
Note: A non-Catholic may serve as a Christian Witness for the infant to be baptized. It is their responsibility to foster the faith of their godchild throughout his/her life and to encourage their godchild to live out his/her baptismal vows in their Catholic Christian tradition. It is important for you to participate in future celebrations of First Holy Communion and Confirmation.
Parents/guardians who aren't registered members of St. Austin Catholic Parish must obtain a letter granting permission from the pastor of the parish in which they are registered to have a child baptized outside that parish.
Any variances agreed upon by the parish clergy and the parents/guardians from the norms and parish guidelines for baptisms must be documented and filed with the parish office before the baptism.
The information on this page pertains to baptism of a Newborn, Infant, Baby or Toddler under the age of 7. If your child is over the age of 7, or you are an adult interested in Baptism, learn more in Faith Formation.
Please read the information presented here carefully before contacting the parish. We're happy to help you. If you have any questions and concerns, please raise them in our conversations or during your required Infant Baptismal Preparation Course.
"Every person not yet baptized is able to receive Baptism."
~ The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, pg. 78 (1246-1252)