Infant Baptism

Formation and accompaniment in faith before and after a child is baptized is necessary for parents, godparents, and the Church to fulfill the mutual promises made in the ritual of Christian baptism.

The following are resources for individuals and parish communities in the Diocese of Portland who welcome a new child with God's love and commit to walking together as the family strives to follow Jesus Christ in their ordinary lives and all seek to grow in the truth, beauty and goodness of the Catholic faith.

For Parents

Contact the parish where you currently participate or hope to baptize your child to start the process toward baptizing an infant (newborn to age 6) Find a Catholic parish in Maine

"In Baptism, the Holy Spirit moves us to answer [Jesus] Christ's call to holiness. In Baptism, we are asked to walk by the light of Christ and to trust in his wisdom. We are invited to submit our hearts to Christ with ever deeper love." from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults.  English / en español

"The family is a proclamation of faith in that it is the natural place in which faith can be lived in a simple and spontaneous manner." Directory for Catechesis (Vatican, 2020), no. 227 

A Prayer of Thanksgiving for a Newborn or Newly Adopted Young Child (USCCB)

For Parish Leaders

Diocesan Guidelines Infant Baptism (2023) - also addresses children younger than age of reason (about 7)

Recording of Msgr. Marc Caron and Shannon Fossett addressing infant baptism at Nov 12, 2020 LFFA meeting

Examples of resources for use in sacrament formation for infant baptism: Simple List with Links (March 14, 2023)   

Tools

Initial Parent Interview for Infant Baptism in Spanish (May 2022) in English (June 2022)

Godparent/Sponsor Verification Form