What makes a catholic baptism valid

Still, Petri said it is important to always remember what the Church teaches: God himself guarantees the sacraments, but he himself is not bound to the sacraments. So I think only in cases where there's proof that it is invalid should we worry," Petri said. Finding out that your baptism was invalid would not mean that you are unable to receive graces throughout your life, he clarified. Instead, any graces that you received from God during your life would have been given in an "extraordinary" way.

While these graces come in an "ordinary" way through a valid baptism, there are other, "extraordinary" ways of obtaining the graces of baptism, such as a "baptism of desire" for those about to die. The case of Father Hood is actually a good example of how God's grace can operate outside of the sacraments, Petri said. Of course, anyone who is not validly baptized should seek to be validly baptized as soon as possible.

If it appears from video evidence that your baptism was invalid, contact your diocese, he said. Father Mark Morozowich, dean of the school of theology and religious studies at The Catholic University of America, said if there are other people who were baptized by the same deacon who invalidly attempted to baptize Hood, it would be reasonable for them to review the tapes, if possible, or at least question whether their own baptisms may also have been invalid.

At Catholic News Agency, our team is committed to reporting the truth with courage, integrity, and fidelity to our faith. We provide news about the Church and the world, as seen through the teachings of the Catholic Church. We won't rent or sell your information, and you can unsubscribe at any time. The Church presumes the validity of baptisms unless there is proof to the contrary.

Still, he recommended anyone who doubts the validity of their own baptism to contact their local priest, as well as their archdiocese. Such Orthodox baptisms have been recognized as valid by the Roman Catholic Church since the Council of Florence in People "expect the baptism to be valid, and any suggestion that the baptism is not simply makes fun of the sacrament itself," said Fink. If you do not know how you were baptized, don't worry about it.

Very few ministers used the wrong formula. If without your knowledge you were incorrectly baptized, God will take care of it.

If you have serious reason to doubt your baptism, it's easy to fix: Just get rebaptized. Any friend or family member can validly do it though the Archdiocese of Detroit wants a priest to do it, and you should follow the instructions of your local bishop.

If you are worried about your marriage, talk to your local parish priest and do what he recommends. If necessary, you can be quietly remarried by a priest without a fuss. If you're a priest who was invalidly baptized, go talk to your bishop. If you are a bishop, God help us all. If you went to confession to a priest who was invalidly baptized and ordained, do not worry about it.

God will take care of it. As the Archdiocese of Detroit told people:. The church, following St. Thomas Aquinas, maintains that God has bound Himself to the sacraments, but He is not bound by the sacraments cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church , and St. This means that while we can have certainty that God always works through the sacraments when they are properly conferred by the minister, God is not bound by the sacraments in that He can and does extend His grace in a sovereign way.

We can be assured that all those who approached Father Hood, in good faith, to make a confession did not walk away without some measure of grace and forgiveness from God. The Archdiocese of Detroit has made the best of a bad situation, but the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith needs to pull this ruling. It was a mistake and a pastoral catastrophe. It would have been better to declare the formula illicit but valid.

The congregation also needs to change its way of making such decisions. Prior to issuing such an important decision, the congregation needs to announce that it is studying the question and ask for input from theologians and pastors from around the world, not just a small clique of Vatican and Roman university experts.

Then, it should issue a proposed rule and ask for comments before issuing a final decision. When the Vatican makes mistakes, it is often because it wants to project an image of being all-knowing and all-wise and therefore not in need of advice. When an inquirer states that he or she has been baptized, the first step in determining if the Baptism is considered valid is to ask in what ecclesial community the Baptism took place.

The diocese should be able to provide a list of ecclesial communities whose Baptisms are considered valid and invalid. If the Baptism is considered invalid, then this would need to be explained to the inquirer and he or she would participate in the Christian initiation process as an unbaptized person. If the Baptism took place in an ecclesial community which the Catholic Church considers to have valid Baptisms, then the next step is to obtain proof that the Baptism took place.

The ecclesial community in which the Baptism took place should be contacted to request a Baptismal certificate. This Baptismal certificate should contain as much of the following information as possible:. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile.

Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Table of Contents Expand. The Necessity of Baptism. The Effects of the Sacrament of Baptism.

The Form of the Sacrament of Baptism. The Minister of the Sacrament of Baptism. What Makes a Baptism Valid?

Infant Baptism.