St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church
800 NW 5th Street
Moore, OK 73160
405-799-3334
Pastor, Father Francis Nguyen

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Baptism of Children & Adults

- Sacraments

Baptizing Infants & Children
Children who will grow up with at least one practicing Catholic parent are ordinarily baptized within a few months after birth. We offer a baptismal preparation program for parents who have not previously baptized a child and are members of St. Andrew's. Call the parish office and ask to speak with Nancy Lyle to learn how the process works. After completion of this program, parents make contact with the Pastor for important followup. Participation is mandatory for Catholic parents who will need to obtain one of two qualified godparents before baptisms may be scheduled. Since godparents promise to help parents raise the child in the faith of the Church, he/she must be a confirmed Catholic who is practicing the faith. Practicing Catholic parents who are already raising a child in the faith of the Church need only call the office to arrange the baptism of another child. Ideally, parents should be married according to the laws of the Catholic Church prior to baptizing a child. Exceptions to this must be discussed with the pastor prior to making any firm plans for a baptism. Baptisms may be scheduled on any weekend following one of the Masses. We do not customarily schedule baptisms during Lent. All baptisms of children must be arranged at least one month in advance. If you are baptizing a first child, please contact Father Francis. You will need to obtain a baptism form from the parish office.
Baptizing children of catechetical age
Unbaptized school aged children are eligible to participate in a special program OCIC, Order of the Christian Initiation of Children, which will prepare them to be baptized, confirmed, and admitted to Holy Communion at the Easter Vigil. They may celebrate these sacraments as long as they have attained the age of reason (around second grade). These children are prepared for their first confession in the year following their initiation. Please contact our Director of Christian Formation for details.

Adult Baptism: A Journey of Conversion--OCIA
The process by which adults are baptized is OCIA- the ORDER OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS. Catholics believe that conversion to Jesus Christ is a lifelong and ongoing process. Participants in OCIA are invited to become disciples of Jesus Christ through prayer and worship, the Word of God, and fellowship with members of our community. Through a gradual training in the Christian way of life, the unbaptized come to know Jesus Christ through the Catholic Christian community and they learn to live as Jesus’ disciples as participants in the mission of Jesus Christ in the world today.

A Step-by-Step Look

1: The Period of Inquiry
OCIA usually begins when someone contacts us to let us know that they have an interest in becoming a Catholic or just to know more about the Catholic Church. This first stage, called the period of evangelization and inquiry leads participants through small group conversations to the point where they can develop a personal connection with Christ and his Church that makes them ready to become disciples. During this first period of the process the parish helps the inquirer to discover just what it is he or she is seeking. The end of this period is marked by the Rite of Acceptance which ordinarily is conducted on or near the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord in early January.

2: Catechumenate
A Catechumen is an inquirer who has advanced to the stage in which they are ready to receive more information about how Catholics follow the Christian way of life as found in the scripures and traditions of the Church. In addition to the study of the Scriptures, study sessions help them understand the doctrinal teachings of the Church. They experience the prayer and worship life of the Church. They learn how to live and serve others in apostolic witness. And they work on building relationships with other members of the Catholic community.
As their conversion to the Christian way of life becomes more evident, they are deemed ready to participate in the The Rite of Election which takes place on the First Sunday in Lent. In this Rite, participants are introduced to our chief shepherd, the Archbishop of Oklahoma City, who calls them to celebrate the Easter Sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and eucharist at the Easter Vigil.

3: Period of purification
This final period of preparation is one of intense, spiritual recollection that follows sacramental initiation. It is a time for reflection and prayer on the connection between sacramental life and daily living as worshipers in spirit and truth.

Sacraments of Initiation. At the Easter Vigil after sunset on Holy Saturday, the elect celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. The elect stand in a pool of water while fresh Easter Water is poured over them as they are baptized. They are then configured to be more like Christ through the sacred chrism of Confirmation. Finally, the culmination of their initiation happens when they taste the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist for the first time.

4: Period of mystagogy
The process of initiation continues even after the Easter celebration. The word, mystagogia, comes from an ancient Greek word meaning a deepening understanding of the mysteries of our faith. During the Easter season, the neophytes (newly initiated) gather each week to deepen their grasp of the great paschal mystery into which they have just been incorporated. The new Christians, now part of Christ’s body, must now go forth with us to continue the mission of Jesus Christ.