Baptism

Booking Baptisms
Baptism is God’s way of enrolling a person into his family. God’s family is called the People of God – and is also known as the Christian Community or the Church.

Parents and sponsors who present a child for baptism undertake to bring the child to church and to come to know God and the parish community.

At Baptism, the parish community — on behalf of all the People of God — welcomes the new member. Baptism is best celebrated  in the context of a coming together of believing people who also commit to helping the newly baptised grow in their understanding of God’s loving and saving grace.
Nowadays, most baptisms are celebrated in a community context rather than in isolation.

Because we have fewer priests, the weekend schedules are increasingly busier and often involve a combination of baptism, marriages, funerals and scheduled Masses. In order that families can plan ahead, and so that the parish can plan ahead also, we designate at least one Saturday each month as the day for baptisms (to avoid clashes with weddings, first communions etc). (This also means in colder months that we won’t have to heat the church every Saturday for a small group of people.)

  • Choose one of the dates below.
  • Download and complete the Booking Form and return it (it can be scanned and emailed to office@enniskeaneparish.ie).
  • We will have a maximum of three families at each ceremony.
  • There isn’t a limit on the congregation.

Which parish?

At baptism, the child is welcomed into the faith community of the parish. This is why a child is normally baptised in the parish where the family currently lives.

We welcome inquires about baptism from people who live elsewhere and for personal reasons may choose to have a child baptised at Enniskeane. In this case, Enniskeane Parish needs the written (or emailed) permission from the parish where you currently live before we can book the baptism. Contact your current parish about this permission.

So these are the dates for the coming months in 2024:-

  • 23rd March
  • 13th April
  • 4th May
  • 1st June
  • 6th July

The Saturday Baptism ceremonies are held at Enniskeane Church at 4pm and need to be booked at the Parish Office at least two weeks in advance. Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the time.

An offering to the priest is payable on the date of the Baptism (people generally give between €50 – €100) and a gratuity is also given to the sacristan who prepares the church and puts everything away afterwards.

Get the Baptism Booking Form here

Looking for a Certificate of Baptism? Click here.

Q. What if one of the sponsors can’t be there that day?

A. Decades ago, though journeys were shorter, baptisms were closer to the birth of the child and it was common for one sponsor not to be present. Church law provides for the possibility of another person standing in at the ceremony as a proxi and both the sponsor’s name and the proxi’s name are noted in the church register. Hence it’s not necessary that both sponsors be physically present at the ceremony.