Adult Baptism

We welcome people of all ages into our community. The process for welcoming adults into the Roman Catholic faith is known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Please click here for more information about how adults at any stage of their faith journey can learn more about becoming Catholic.

Infant Baptism

The Rite of Baptism for Children includes these words, "The Christian community welcomes you with great joy." And it is also with great joy that Saint Clement helps parents prepare for the baptism of their baby. In bringing forward your child for baptism, you seek to make a permanent connection between your child and Christ with the Christian community. No matter how close or distant your own relationship with God, the new life of your child has stirred a desire in you to seek baptism for him or her. In this sacrament, the Christian community promises to walk beside you in nurturing the faith of your child. Please click here for a list of Frequently Asked Questions about infant baptism.

Baptism Preparation

If this is your first time bringing a child forward for baptism, it is a requirement of the Archdiocese of Chicago that both parents participate in one baptism preparation session. Here at Saint Clement, we encourage parents to wait until after the child has been born to attend the session, and we invite parents to bring the baby with them. The preparation session is usually held on the first Sunday of each month from 1 to 3pm. Contact Maggie Byrnes to check availability and to register for the session.

If you have already had a child baptized at Saint Clement, you need not attend the preparation session again, unless you would like to. If this is not your first child to be baptized here, contact Maggie Byrnes to arrange for the baptism.

Options for Celebrating the Baptism of Your Child

We offer a few options for celebrating this first, most important sacrament.

• Most baptisms at Saint Clement are celebrated at 1pm every Sunday of the month but the last (the schedule may vary, so please call). The 1pm baptism rite is a beautiful ceremony with four or five families bringing their children forward to be baptized. It lasts about 40 minutes and is not a full Mass. After a brief Liturgy of the Word and a short homily, the families and all their guests are called to gather around the baptismal font to witness the baptisms of their children.
• Another choice is to have your child baptized during one of our regular weekend liturgies. We invite up to two baptisms at each of two Masses per month. This narrows the range of available dates to choose from, but if you wish to celebrate your child’s baptism during one of our regular weekend Masses, we can work together to find a date that works.
• A third option is for families who want to have their child baptized by a priest or deacon who is not part of the Saint Clement staff. Baptisms with a visiting priest or deacon are usually scheduled at 2pm on Sunday afternoons. This option is not available the last Sunday of each month.

Whichever of these options you choose, you must confirm the date of the baptism with the parish before making further plans. Baptism dates do fill up quickly. To check tentative availability, please click here.