Infants and Children under 7
Parents should plan to have newborn children baptized within the first weeks after birth (Code of Canon Law, can. 867). Please contact Deacon Jim Haaf to arrange for preparation if this is your first child baptized at St. Joseph: (573) 619-0741. To schedule a Baptism with Fr. Schrader, please contact Fr. Schrader.
Information forms to be returned to the parish office after scheduling a baptism can be found online in the Bulletins, Publications, and Forms section.
Children 7 Years of Age and Older
Canon law presumes that children who have reached the age of 7 are able to have a basic understanding of baptism and to choose it for themselves. This means that baptismal preparation for children of this age and older is more involved than in the case of infants.
When a child is baptized at age 7 or older, confirmation and first Holy Communion are also normally celebrated in the same ceremony. Ideally, this all takes place on the Saturday evening before Easter Sunday, though other dates may be possible.
If you need to arrange for the baptism of a child who is 7 or older, please contact the pastor to set up a meeting.
Adults
Adults seeking baptism in the Catholic Church are invited to inquire about our RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) process.
Godparents and Christian Witnesses
Those who are baptized may have 1 godparent or 2 (1 male and 1 female). A godparent must: be at least 16 years old (the pastor may grant an exception for a just cause); 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; not be bound by any canonical penalty legitimately imposed or declared; not be the father or mother of the one to be baptized. (Code of Canon Law, can. 874.1).
A member of one of the Orthodox Churches may serve as a godparent together with a Catholic godparent (Directory for Ecumenism, n. 98).
A Christian of another denomination (not an ex-Catholic) may serve as a Christian witness together with a Catholic godparent (Code of Canon Law, can. 874.2).
Potential godparents who are not members of St. Joseph may be asked to provide a letter of suitability from their own parish.