BAPTISM
Baptism at St. Mary, Our Lady of the Lake

• Parents are required to attend the Baptismal Preparation Class. Call the parish office for contact information.
• You must be a registered parishioner. Please stop by the church office to fill out a registration form.
• Submit a copy of your child's state issued birth certificate to the office.

Baptism at Different Parish

• Contact the church office and request a letter granting permission for the child to be baptized at another parish.
• Please be prepared to provide:
  • information on your completion of the baptismal prep class
  • name and address of the parish where the baptism will take place
  • date of the baptism
  • child's name and parents' name if you are the Godparent

From Another Parish Seeking Baptism at St. Mary, Our Lady of the Lake
If you are requesting Baptism for your child, but are registered at another parish you are required to provide St. Mary, Our Lady of the Lake with a letter giving permission for your child to baptized at our parish and verification of completion of baptism prep class.

GODPARENTS
Godparents are required to attend a Baptismal Preparation class. Please contact the Parish Office at [email protected] for more information.
You can view the Requirements for Godparents in the Baptism Packet (located at the left).
Please print out the Godparent form (located on the left) and return to church office.

FIRST RECONCILIATION/FIRST COMMUNION
First Communion is a time of great joy for our children. We are very excited to help prepare our students for this wonderful time in their lives. Please review the following guidelines and look at the First Communion Packet (located on the left).

• Student should be in 2^nd grade or above and at least 7 years old.
• Student must have been enrolled in religious education program for at least one year prior (1^st grade RE or Catholic school).
• Students should participate in Mass on Sundays and more often if the opportunity presents itself.
• Student must turn in a copy of Baptism certificate.

In addition students should have knowledge of:

• How to behave during Mass
• Make the Sign of the Cross
• How to pray Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
• Before First Reconciliation the student will need to be able to pray Act of Contrition and do an examination of conscious.
• Reverence for Mass and the Eucharist

CONFIRMATION
Confirmation is broken into two years. Year 1 will be focused on religious education. This will be easy - just show up for class. Year 2 will continue to focus on religious education, but we will break away from the main group and have an eight week Confirmation focused class for those who have fulfilled all requirements. No absences from the Confirmation weeks. Please review the following guidelines and look at the Confirmation Packet (located at the left).
CONFIRMATION CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS

• Candidate must be in high school and at least 14 years old.
• Candidate must willing of own accord to be confirmed in the church.
• Candidate must have been enrolled in religious education program for at least two years prior (7^th/8^th grade RE or Catholic school). If candidate was not enrolled in two years of prior RE please contact Eileen Wickham ([email protected]) to determine eligibility.
• Candidate must attend two years of religious formation through the High School RE program with no more than two absences per semester.
• Candidate must attend an 8 week Confirmation class – must attend all eight classes.
• Candidate should participate in Mass on Sundays and more often if the opportunity presents itself.
• Candidate must choose a Confirmation sponsor meeting all guidelines and is required to have their sponsor return a Confirmation Sponsor Covenant.
• Candidate must turn in a copy of Baptism and Communion certificates.
• Candidate must chose a saint name and write a saint report.
• Candidate must complete 20 hours of service.
• Candidates must have an interview with Father Raj, one of the deacons, or one of the HS RE adults.
• Candidate must attend at least one retreat provided by the RE department.
• In order to receive the sacrament of Confirmation all requirements must be met by specified dates.
• It will be the candidate’s responsibility to complete all requirements on time.

CONFIRMATION SPONSOR REQUIREMENTS
A Confirmation sponsor’s role is to encourage the faith of the candidate. A sponsor should be an example to your Confirmation candidate and to reflect with the candidate on the meaning of a life of Catholic discipleship.
The Code of the Canon Law specifies the requirements for serving as a sponsor at Confirmation (Canon 893) are the same as those for Godparents at Baptism (Canon 874): you may not be the parent of the person being Confirmed, you must be at least 16 years old, you must be fully initiated in the church, if married – a valid Catholic marriage, and live a life of active faith in the Catholic Church.
You can find the Confirmation Sponsor Form on the left.

RCIA
A journey for adults who are seeking faith through the Catholic community. It embodies the recognition that faith and conversion are a gradual process. Please contact Rev. Ed Koharchik for more information.

MARRIAGE PREPARATION
All couples seeking the sacrament of marriage should contact the church office.