Catholic Emergency Baptism

Pawwed Rig

Hi, hope someone here can help.

A friend of a friend had a baby who is not expected to survive but the priest is unavailable (currently saying mass - not in Ireland).
I thought I remembered that anyone can perform a baptism in this situation and after a google I found

Can. 861 §1 The ordinary minister of baptism is a Bishop, a priest or a deacon, without prejudice to the provision of can. 530, n. 1.
§2 If the ordinary minister is absent or impeded, a catechist or some other person deputed to this office by the local Ordinary, may lawfully confer baptism; indeed, in a case of necessity, any person who has the requisite intention may do so. Pastors of souls, especially parish priests, are to be diligent in ensuring that Christ's faithful are taught the correct way to baptise.

Is this a correct Catholic law?

Also, I told her to do the deed she just needs to say
I baptise you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit while pouring water over the baby's head.

Can someone advise if I was correct here?

Queen-Mise

I baptize you in the Name of the Father <pour water>
and of the Son <pour water>
and of the Holy Spirit <pour water>


don't forget to have the intention of cleansing his/her sins and bringing him/her into the Church, which is the proper intent of Baptism

That seems to be the idea, and then have a priest/properly qualified person do it as soon as possible.

The Catholic forums are generally very good and can be trusted. This is a thread on your question

Pawwed Rig

Thanks Queen Mise. That is where I got the info but wasn't familiar with the site so did not know if it was reliable information or not.
They are trying to get a priest asap but may not make it on time. If I was correct then their minds should be at ease if they do it themselves.
Do you know if it needs to be holy water or will any water do? I told them if they have holy water then use that but if not then use any.

Queen-Mise

More info again - here is a link about invalid baptism.

The media in Montreal recently reported that the Diocese of St. Jerome disclosed that 295 baptisms of children in the parish of Pointe-Calumet had been declared invalid. Beginning in 1991, a layperson was officiating baptisms. She would allow the parents to pour holy water on their child' s forehead, as she pronounced blessings. Apparently, no one noticed the problem until 1996 when a grandmother, who was strong in her faith and knowledgeable, recognized the error and reported it to the bishop. Since that time, the diocese has been contacting the families privately, offering to baptize the children who were invalidly baptized.
Given this sad state of affairs, every Catholic ought to know how to baptize a child: The essential rite of the sacrament, as detailed in the Catechsim, is as follows: "Baptism is performed in the most expressive way by triple immersion in the baptismal water. However, from ancient times, it has also been able to be conferred by pouring the water three times over the candidate' s head. In the Latin Church, this triple infusion is accompanied by the minister' s words: ‘I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’

The parents were pouring the water and the lay person was saying the words. Whoever pours the water HAS to say the words & it is the triple pouring of water,

verbumdei

Queen-Mise wrote: »

More info again - here is a link about invalid baptism.



The parents were pouring the water and the lay person was saying the words. Whoever pours the water HAS to say the words & it is the triple pouring of water,

Anyone can perform a baptism as long as water and the prayer is said. Usually it's a priest but anyone can do it accordingly to Catholic catechism

Queen-Mise

http://www.holytrinityparish.net/RCIA/Baptism%20and%20Confirmation%20Class%20Lecture.pdf

It doesn't have to be holy water either - although ideally it should be water. It can be fresh or salt, that doesn't matter.

You can trust the online stuff in this regard. It is usually pretty spot on.

This is also evident in Scripture, because in Scripture, not only were people
immersed, but in the Acts of the Apostles, it says people were baptized in prison,
or in their homes. Obviously, there would not be large amounts of water to do an
immersion, so it seems that some of the kinds of Baptism that was done was the
pouring of water over the forehead. With either the pouring of water, or the
immersion, the person who’s doing this, the priest, Bishop, deacon - or in case of
emergency, anyone, - the invocation of the Blessed Trinity must be made. The
person has to say, “I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Spirit.” If the person changes those words, then it would not be a
recognized, valid Christian Baptism.
Notice that the person says, “I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The “I” is Christ. It’s really Christ who will perform
this sacrament for you, but He’ll use a priest, deacon, or Bishop to do that.
What needs to be used in Baptism itself is natural water, or whatever is
recognized as water. It could be salt water. It could be lake water. It could be
river water. Normally though, it would be blessed. The water would need to be
blessed. I remember once asking a little kid, “How does a priest make Holy
Water?” The kid says, “He boils the hell out of it.” I said, “That’s a clever
response, boiling the hell out of it.”
Normally, the water should be blessed, unless it’s in the case of an emergency;
then you could use just regular water. You could not use anything except for
water to baptize. For example, you couldn’t use Coca Cola. You couldn’t use
gasoline. You couldn’t use Kool-Aid. You couldn’t use strong coffee, because

that wouldn’t be considered water. Whatever’s considered water could be used
for a valid Baptism.
The Baptism would normally be done in a church. As I mentioned, in the early
Church, they would take you out to the River Jordan or some other place by the
sea, and they would baptize. Sometimes you might hear of different
denominations that will just sprinkle you with water. If all you were was just lightly
sprinkled, that would not be considered a valid Baptism. The only way it would be
valid is if they really doused you with the water, and there was enough water to
have it flow. It has to be the washing movement, because the Baptism represents
the cleansing. If there’s no washing, no cleansing, it would not be considered a
real Baptism, a true Baptism. That’s why it’s either done by immersion; it’s done
by the pouring of water over the forehead; or, if it is sprinkling, they really have to
douse you very well.

Pawwed Rig

Cheers guys. It looks like I told them the correct way to do it so hopefully that stress can at least be removed from their current situation.

Can always rely on boards when I've a question on anything

Queen-Mise

This is what I would send them. This is what to do set out in basic steps.

http://www.catholicdoors.com/faq/qu641.htm

Frequently Asked Questions
regarding
THE ADMINISTRATION OF
AN EMERGENCY BAPTISM
IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.

Q. 1. What happens when a baby is born and the doctor says that the infant will not live beyond a few hours because of medical reasons? How can the Church Sacrament of Baptism be administered in such a case?

A. 1. In the case of an emergency, anyone, even a non-Catholic, can administer the Sacrament of Baptism, (C.C.C. # 1284) providing that certain conditions are met. Those conditions are:

(a) the person who will administer the Sacrament of Baptism must have had the intention of baptising her child.

(b) the person has to use the correct formula, the exact words that are required to make the baptism valid.

(C) the person has to sprinkle water on the forehead of the infant.

Q. 2. So what exactly does the person have to do to baptise an infant in the case of an emergency?

A. 2. You do the following:

(a) You make the sign of the cross.

(b) You pour water over the child’s head while saying the following word...

The water should be poured in three distinct intervals. The water should hit the child’s head each time when you say the words Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

(c) You say, “(Mention the name of the child), I baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 28:19).

The above EXACT words must be said; you CANNOT change them.

Q. 2. Does that mean that there will be no Church ceremony of Baptism?

A. 2. In most cases, there can be a Church Baptismal ceremony for two reasons:

1) There is a "conditional baptism" in case the first baptism was not properly administered. It is called "conditional" because a person cannot be baptised two times. If the first baptism was not valid, the "conditional baptism" will ensure that the child has been properly baptism. The baptismal date recorded in the Church registry is the date when the child was baptised the first time, usually at the hospital. In such a case, there are no names of Godparents mentioned in the registry (unless there was at least one Godparent appointed).

2) The Baptismal ceremony provides an opportunity for everyone involved to learn the symbolism of the Sacrament of Baptism, such consisting of the reception of the child, the symbol of water, the prayer of exocism, the oil of catechumens, the oil of chrism, the white garment, and the candle.

Queen-Mise

Finally - I hope everything works out for them. I'll say a prayer.

hfallada

Can you not call a local hospital and ask for the priests that usually deals with situations like this. I imagine a hospital priest would have no issue doing something like this on short notice. After all a priests job is not 9-5.

Pawwed Rig

hfallada wrote: »

Can you not call a local hospital and ask for the priests that usually deals with situations like this. I imagine a hospital priest would have no issue doing something like this on short notice. After all a priests job is not 9-5.

They are in a hospital but the hospital chaplain is currently saying mass somewhere so won't be available for a few hours.
They are in a different time zone where it is Sunday morning already.

lmaopml

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

They are in a hospital but the hospital chaplain is currently saying mass somewhere so won't be available for a few hours.
They are in a different time zone where it is Sunday morning already.

A child can be baptized by any Christian in an emergency, and even still, it doesn't mean 'salvation' or 'no salvation', because that child was known long before anybody was responsible for it - in fact a child can be baptized if their parents wish wholeheartedly for their baptism, and intended it - and are unable to perform it in time.

God is not restricted, by his instructions - he instructs, but reads hearts mostly - Our God is a merciful God - but one must be baptized, and sometimes that happens whether a parent likes it or not, by another hand that knows more than we do, and cradles innocents.

God is Love, St. John says. I think this is true, it's probably the only real thing worth anything at all.

JimiTime

May I ask, what is the Catholic doctrine on a baby who isn't baptised? As in, what is it that happens to them?

Personally, I would ask people to consider the God they worship. Do you believe God has truly set up a system where a baby who isn't baptised, but dies suffers a consequence? Again, rather than thinking of dogma's, think about what you know of God.

Pawwed Rig

To conclude, before the thread gets into a general discussion, they performed the baptism themselves but in the end the priest got there just before the child died. It was a real concern for them so I am glad that they have one less thing to worry about now. Again thanks to the posters here for the advice and links.

Benny_Cake

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

To conclude, before the thread gets into a general discussion, they performed the baptism themselves but in the end the priest got there just before the child died. It was a real concern for them so I am glad that they have one less thing to worry about now. Again thanks to the posters here for the advice and links.

Very sorry to hear of their loss. I'm sure that the houghts and prayers of all here are with them.

JimiTime wrote: »

May I ask, what is the Catholic doctrine on a baby who isn't baptised? As in, what is it that happens to them?

Personally, I would ask people to consider the God they worship. Do you believe God has truly set up a system where a baby who isn't baptised, but dies suffers a consequence? Again, rather than thinking of dogma's, think about what you know of God.

As I understand it, there is no Catholic doctrine in relation to this, just speculation. A church commission released a document on the matter in 2007 which stated:

Our conclusion is that the many factors that we have considered above give serious theological and liturgical grounds for hope that unbaptized infants who die will be saved and enjoy the beatific vision. We emphasize that these are reasons for prayerful hope, rather than grounds for sure knowledge. There is much that simply has not been revealed to us. We live by faith and hope in the God of mercy and love who has been revealed to us in Christ, and the Spirit moves us to pray in constant thankfulness and joy.

What has been revealed to us is that the ordinary way of salvation is by the sacrament of baptism. None of the above considerations should be taken as qualifying the necessity of baptism or justifying delay in administering the sacrament. Rather, as we want to reaffirm in conclusion, they provide strong grounds for hope that God will save infants when we have not been able to do for them what we would have wished to do, namely, to baptize them into the faith and life of the Church.

(source)

It's actually quite upsetting to think that someone might actually be worried about something like this at a time when their newborn is struggling to survive.

martinedwards

Baptism is non denominational.

RC church recognises Prod baptism and vice versa.