To Those who are Planning on Baptizing their Children at St. James the Apostle
Congratulations on the birth of your child! We rejoice with you as you bring your son or daughter to the Church to be baptized!

As you are choosing your child’s godparents, please keep the following guidelines in mind:

  • Godparents must be practicing Catholics, who attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, and have received the sacraments of Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation. If the godparent-to-be is married, they must be married validly in the Catholic Church.
  • The Catholic Church offers a provision for a non-Catholic Christian to stand as a Christian Witness to a baptism, and be recorded in the Sacramental Record. In order to be a Christian Witness, a person must have been baptized in a different Christian denomination (i.e. not Catholic) and be practicing in their faith. Catholics who have left the Church for a different Christian Faith are not permitted to stand as Christian Witnesses.

Again, congratulations, and we look forward to welcoming you and your family for your child’s baptism! For more information about scheduling your child’s baptism, please email our Sacramental Coordinator, Hannah Bernstein, or call her at 630.469.7540, ext. 206.