St. John the Apostle Catholic Parish

The birth of a child is often a time when parents reexamine their values and hopes in terms of the children entrusted to them.

For a child to be baptized in the Catholic Faith, there must be a basis for hope that the child will be raised in the Catholic faith. In practice, this means that at least one parent is Catholic. It is the hope of the Church that presenting their children for Baptism will call parents to a greater commitment to Jesus Christ and the practice of the Catholic faith. Parents are encouraged to reflect spiritually on the meaning of parenthood and to recognize that baptism is the beginning of a lifelong commitment. Infant baptism is bestowed on children from birth until just before the seventh birthday.

Here are the steps to having your child celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism at St. John the Apostle.

• Is this your first child to be baptized? Are you a new parishioner? Haven’t attended a class in the last 3 years at SJA? Attend a Baptism Preparation Class! We host classes every other month on the first Tuesday from 7:00-9:00 PM at the parish. See dates below. We highly recommend you attend a class prior to the birth of your child, so your child can be baptized as soon as possible. RSVP by contacting the Parish Office at 757.426.2180.

• Attended the class within the last 3 years at St. John's? You are not required to attend the Baptism Class again.

• After you've taken the Baptism Preparation Class, please fill out our Baptism Inquiry Form to begin the process of reserving a date for your child’s Baptism.   We celebrate baptisms during one of our four weekend Masses, generally rotating from week to week through the different Mass times.  See below for additional information.

• Once we receive your Inquiry Form, our Office Manager, Carole Romanini will reach out to you to schedule your child's Baptism. 

•  Become a member of our Parish community. Click here for our online parish registration.

• If you are a participating member of a parish other than St. John the Apostle, but wish to have your child baptized here, you will need to provide us with a Permission Letter from the pastor of the Catholic Church in which you are registered.

• If you have any questions, please contact Carole Romanini at [email protected] or in the Parish Office at 757.426.2180.​​​​​

When do baptisms take place?

Baptisms take place during one of our four weekend Masses, generally rotating from week to week through the different Mass times. For example:

• The first weekend of the month, baptisms are celebrated at the 5:00 PM Vigil Mass;
• The second weekend, baptisms are at the 7:30 AM Sunday Mass;
• The third weekend, baptisms are at the 9:15 AM Sunday Mass;
• The fourth weekend, baptism are at the 11:00 AM Sunday Mass.
• Baptisms are not celebrated on the fifth Sunday of the month.

What about single parents or parents who aren’t married in the Catholic Church?

St. John the Apostle Church welcomes every parent to bring your child forth for baptism, no matter what your circumstances might be.  

Unbaptized and over the age of seven?

If your child is at least seven years of age but has NOT received the Sacrament of Baptism, contact John Domingo at 757.426.2180 or [email protected] for more information.