The First Gift: Understanding the Sacrament of Baptism
There are few moments in the life of a family quite like the day a child is brought to the font. Parents who have waited and prayed, godparents standing close by, grandparents watching from the pews, and a small, sleepy child entirely unaware that something eternal is about to happen. At St Anthony of Padua, we have the joy of witnessing this again and again, and it never loses its wonder.
If you are reading this because you are hoping to have your child baptised, we want to say something plainly before anything else: you are very welcome here. You do not need to have everything figured out. You do not need to have been to Mass every Sunday of your life. You need only the desire to bring your child to Christ, and we will walk the rest of the way with you.
What Baptism Really Is
Baptism is the first of the Sacraments of Initiation, and the Church calls it the gateway to all the others. Through the waters of Baptism, a person is freed from original sin, reborn as a son or daughter of God, made a member of Christ, and joined to His Body, the Church.
It is not simply a naming ceremony, nor a cultural tradition, nor a celebration of new life in a general sense, though it is certainly a day of great celebration. Something genuinely happens. Our Lord Himself was explicit about it: “No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5). And at the very end of St Matthew’s Gospel, as He sends the apostles out into the world, He gives them the words we still use over every child: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).
Those words are not a formula we repeat out of habit. They are the moment a child is claimed by God and marked with a seal that nothing in life can undo. St Paul puts it in terms that are almost startling: in Baptism we are buried with Christ so that we may also rise with Him (Romans 6:3-4). The water is at once a grave and a womb. It brings death to sin and birth into grace.
Why We Baptise Children
Parents sometimes ask whether it might be better to wait and let a child decide for themselves. It is a sincere question, and it deserves a sincere answer.
The Church baptises infants for the same reason parents do everything else for their children before they can ask for it. We do not wait for a child to request food, or warmth, or a name, or a home. Grace is not a decision we impose on a child; it is a gift we refuse to withhold. The Catechism puts it simply: children are born with a fallen human nature, and they have need of the new birth in Baptism to be freed from the power of darkness and brought into the realm of the freedom of the children of God.
And the child will indeed decide for themselves, in time. That is precisely what Confirmation is for: the moment a young person stands up and claims as their own the faith their parents claimed for them. Baptism does not replace that choice. It makes it possible.
The Signs You Will See
Every part of the rite says something, and it is worth knowing what to look for on the day.
The water is poured three times, once at each name of the Blessed Trinity, for the cleansing, the dying and the rising. The oil of catechumens is used before the water, strengthening the child for the Christian life ahead; the sacred chrism follows it, anointing the child as priest, prophet and king in Christ. The white garment declares that the child has put on Christ and is now clothed in a dignity that belongs to them for ever. And the candle is lit from the Paschal candle, the flame of the risen Lord, then handed to the parents with the charge to keep that light burning brightly.
It is a beautiful thing to watch a father take that candle and understand, perhaps for the first time, exactly what he is being asked to carry.
Parents and Godparents
At the heart of the rite, the priest turns to the parents and asks whether they understand what they are undertaking: to bring the child up in the practice of the faith, to teach them to keep God’s commandments as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbour.
This is the real substance of the day. The grace of Baptism is God’s own gift, freely given and complete. But a seed still needs soil. A child learns to pray by watching someone pray. They learn that Sunday matters because it visibly matters at home. They come to love the Mass because they were brought to it, week after week, long before they could follow it.
Godparents share in this. The Church asks that at least one godparent be a practising, confirmed Catholic, and the reason is not bureaucratic: a godparent is meant to be someone who can actually accompany a child in the faith, because they are living it themselves.
A Church That Is Glad to See You
We know that approaching a parish can feel daunting. Some families come to us having moved recently to Slough and knowing nobody. Some come after years away from the Church, half-expecting to be met with a raised eyebrow. Some are nervous about paperwork, or about whether they are “allowed”.
Please hear this clearly: we are glad you came. Bringing your child for Baptism is one of the best things you will ever do for them, and no one here is keeping score of how long it has been since your last confession. Our parish is a genuinely mixed family, with people from many nations, many backgrounds and many points along the road of faith, and that is exactly what a Catholic parish is supposed to look like.
Fr Dr Nathaniel Onwuekwe and the Parish Office will meet you, answer your questions, and prepare you properly and unhurriedly. There is a meeting with the Priest before the Baptism, and it is not an examination. It is a conversation, and most parents find they leave it encouraged.
Arranging a Baptism at St Anthony’s
Baptisms at St Anthony of Padua normally take place on Saturdays at 12 noon or on Sundays immediately after the 10:30 am Mass.
The simplest way to begin is to complete our online registration form, which takes only a few minutes:
Begin your child’s Baptism registration →
Completing the form is the first step. It tells us you would like to go ahead and gives us the details we need. The Parish Office will then be in touch to confirm your date and arrange the meeting with the Priest. The booking itself is completed at the Parish Office, where the offering is made and we ask to see evidence that at least one godparent is a practising, confirmed Catholic.
If you would rather simply talk to someone first, that is perfectly fine too. You can contact the Parish Office on 01753 267 918, or come and find us after any of our weekend Masses. We would far rather you asked than stayed away.
A Day Worth Everything
Years from now your child may not remember the photographs, the dress, or who held the candle. But the Church will remember. Their name is written in the baptismal register of this parish, and more importantly it is written in the palm of God’s hand. Whatever road they walk, they will walk it as a baptised child of God, and that is a claim no one can ever take from them.
Bring them to the font. We will be waiting at the door, and we will be delighted to see you.
“Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” (Matthew 19:14)
Written by parishioners of St Anthony of Padua, Slough.