The Sacrament of Baptism is the gateway to all the other sacraments and is necessary for salvation, as Jesus revealed to us, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (Jn. 3:5). "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned" (Mk 16:16). Baptism is the first of the Sacraments of Initiation. The Sacraments of Initiation are Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion also referred to as Holy Eucharist). "Through Baptism, we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission" (CCC 1213).

The Catholic Church considers a person who has not yet reached the age of reason (typically, seven years old) to be an infant.

Ordinarily, an infant should be baptized within the first few weeks after birth. Therefore, parents are encouraged to contact the parish before the birth of their child to begin the process of preparation for the baptism.

At St. Joseph, parents are required to attend a baptism preparation session to be suitably prepared for having their child baptized. Baptism preparation sessions are offered on the second Saturday in January, March, May, July, September, and November from 9:00-11:00 AM in the St. Joseph Room. 

For more information and to sign up for a baptism preparation session, please contact Deacon Dennis Ternes at [email protected] or 319.377.4869 or fill out the form below.
 

Godparent(s)

In infant baptism, one or two godparents are chosen to assist the parents to lead and teach the child to live a Christian life as a baptized member of the Church. There may be one godparent (male or female) or two godparents (one male, one female). The godparents must meet the following qualifications: 1.) be at least 16 years of age; 2.) be a practicing Catholic who is already confirmed and has received First Communion; 3.) be leading a life of faith in harmony with the responsibility undertaken; 4.) not be under a lawfully imposed or declared canonical penalty; and 5.) not be the father or mother of the one being baptized.

Adults and children who are not infants (i.e. seven years old and up) typically go through the process of OCIA to prepare to receive the Sacrament of Baptism. For information about OCIA, please click here.