Baptisms are celebrated on the first and third Sundays of the month after Mass and during Mass. Our Mass schedule is as follows:
- Saturday Vigil – 4:30 PM (English)
- Saturday Vigil – 6:30 PM (Spanish)
- Sunday – 8:30 AM (English)
- Sunday – 10:30 AM (English)
- Sunday – 12:30 PM (Spanish)
- Sunday – 6:30PM (English)
Baptism requests will be confirmed upon completion of the following requirements:
- Parents and Godparents attend a Baptismal Prep Class. If the God parents are members of a different parish outside of Chicago; they need to attend their local parish’s Baptism classes and provide a letter from their Pastor authorizing them to serve as Godparents. Only one Godparent is needed, but two is acceptable.
- A suggested donation of $150 Pay the donation here.
- A copy of the Birth Certificate of the individual being baptized must be on file with the parish office.
Contact
For more information regarding infant baptisms please contact the Parish Office at (773) 280-7700 or email us at office@saintmarys.org
If your child is 7 years or older and needs to be baptized please contact Sister Claudia Sanchez at csanchez@saintmarys.org
If you are an adult seeking to be baptized or interested in becoming Catholic, please contact Marc Vega at mvega@saintmarys.org
The Celebration of Baptism
“Baptism is the first and chief sacrament of forgiveness of sins because it unites us with Christ, who died for our sins and rose for our justification. Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist constitute the ‘sacraments of initiation’ by which a believer receives the remission of original and personal sin, begins a new life in Christ and the Holy Spirit, and is incorporated into the Church, the Body of Christ. The rite of Baptism consists in immersing the candidate in water, or pouring water on the head, while pronouncing the invocation of the Most Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 977, 1213,1275, 1278).
Through water, God can confer grace and mercy onto His most beloved creation. The Sacraments of Christian Initiation are the privileged path toward our Creator, and the Catholic Church is the steward of these great gifts. Through the Rite of Baptism, we are freed from original sin and born anew in the Spirit as children of the one, true God.
The Greek word baptizein means “to plunge” or “to immerse.” The Rite of Baptism, therefore, does something to the one being baptized; it is efficacious. Baptism immerses the body and soul of the one being baptized into water, and the person rises a new creature – more beautiful and perfect than before. Christians are buried with Christ so that we may rise again to new life with Him. “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 5:3-4).
But faith needs a community of committed believers. Baptism plants the seed of faith, but it must be nourished by learned followers. This is why Saint Mary of the Lake is committed to not only sharing the gift of Baptism with its parishioners, but also developing a deeper and more informed faith with all those who wish to have their child baptized. In that light, parents who desire Baptism for their child must be parishioners at Saint Mary of the Lake, attend Mass at Saint Mary’s every Sunday (or Saturday at 4:30), and attend a mandatory baptismal preparation class. We are a family, and family requires commitment, attention, and mutual care. These requirements will be explained more in depth during the class.