BAPTISM

Infants - 6 years old

The following guidelines must be followed for baptism registration:

• Parents must bring a completed Baptism Registration form and the State Birth Certificate (Health Dept) of child to the Baptism Interview.
• • Interviews are conducted on the 1st Tuesday of each month from 6:30pm- 7:30pm. No appointment is necessary. A date for your child’s baptism cannot be scheduled until all documentation and requirements have been met.
• Parents who do not live within the boundaries of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church must  bring a Letter of Permission from their parish. If you are not registered at a particular parish, you must bring a letter from the parish that belongs to you by  boundaries.
• Godparents:
  • Must be a minimum of 16 years of age and must have received the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion. 
  • If married, must be married through the Catholic Church.
  • Godparents must provide a baptismal certificate with notations dated within the last 12 months will be sufficient.
• Parents and godparents are required to attend a baptism preparation class. Sts. Peter and Paul offers a baptism class on the 4th Tuesday of each month. You do not need to register for the baptism class.
  • If parents or godparents have taken a class within the last 3 years, this meets the requirement for Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church. If a class was taken at another location, please provide a letter from the parish where the class was completed.
  • If the godparents are from out-of-town, they must provide certificate of attendance from their parish.

Once all paperwork and requirements are met, parents may schedule their child's baptism. Baptisms are celebrated on the 2nd and 3rd Saturday of each month at 9:30am. The 2nd Saturday of each month, Baptisms are also celebrated in Spanish at 11:00am. Baptisms are not celebrated during the penitential seasons of Advent (December 2023) or Lent (February/March 2024).

For additional information, contact Kimberly McFadden or Christine Ikels at 830-625-4531. 

For those age 7-17 years old, please visit Christian Initiation of Youth.

Baptism FAQs

Q. How old can the child be?
A. Infant to 6 years of age. If the youth is 7 years or older, please visit Christian Initiation of Youth for information.

Q. Who can be a Godparent?
A. There needs to be at least one godparent who is practicing and fully initiated Catholic. If you will have two godparents for your child, one must be male and the other one female. If one is not Catholic but baptized in another Christian Faith, they may serve as a witness to the baptism along with a Catholic Godparent.

Q. When can I register for the preparation class?
A. There is no need to register for the class. Please show up at the assigned time. 

Q. How can I become a parishioner at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church?
A. Please contact the Parish office by calling (830) 625-4531 or complete the Online Registration.

FIRST RECONCILIATION  & FIRST COMMUNION

The Archdiocese of San Antonio requires attendance in faith formation or Catholic school for two years.

First grade lays the foundation for the immediate preparation in second grade. During the first grade year, basic stories from the life and teachings of Jesus are presented, the basic prayers are introduced and baptism, as the sacrament bringing us into God's family, the Church, is presented. During second grade, the fall classes focus on preparation for first confession which is celebrated in January. Preparation for First Communion begins in January with First Communion celebrations taking place during the Easter season.

Children starting in second grade or later attend the regular weekly religious education classes with their grade level peers. In addition, four parent-child sessions are held to prepare for the sacraments during each of the two years of year of preparation.  At these sessions  materials are given for the families to work on at home with their children. 

Additonal information can be found on the First Reconciliation & First Communion page.

What about adults who need First Reconciliation and First Communion? 

Please visit the RCIA page for information. 

RECONCILIATION

Regular scheduled times for reconciliation are Monday and Wednesday from 4:30pm-5:30pm or Saturdays from 10:00am to 12:00pm in the church.  You may also make an appointment with the priest for reconciliation by calling 830-625-4531 ext. 235.

CONFIRMATION

Confirmation is normally a two-year program beginning in the 9th grade. Students who desire this sacrament will attend our Life Teen program on Sunday evenings, as well as our six-week Sacrament Preperation program in the spring on Wednesday evenings.

Confirmation will be conferred every year for candidates who have completed the two-year program, or sufficient instruction. This is usually in the 10th grade.

For more information on confirmation, check out High School Confirmation or contact Brenda Gualandri at 830-625-4531 ext. 242.
 

ADULT CONFIRMATION
Are you an adult who was never confirmed? We offer a 10-week course twice per year for adults (18 year-old high school graduates and older) who have been baptized, celebrated their First Communion and attend weekly Mass. Our next class begins late summer 2023. 

Upon completion of the course, adults participate in a half day retreat to prepare for reception of the sacrament. Adults are confirmed at one of the several Confirmation Liturgies offered by the Archdiocese of San Antonio. Adults interested in recieving the Sacrament of Confirmation should complete the registration form and send to Kimberly McFadden.

Adult Confirmation Registration Form

ANOINTING OF THE SICK

"Illness can lead to anguish, self-absorption, sometimes even despair and revolt against God. It can also make a person more mature, helping him discern in his life what is not essential so that he can turn toward that which is. Very often illness provokes a search for God and a return to him." (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1501)

Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church offers the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. It gives one grace, strength, peace, and courage to overcome the difficulties that are associated with disease, illness and dying. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Sacrament of the Sick can be arranged by contacting the parish office. The priest can visit the home or hospital or the person requesting the sacrament can come to the parish.

 "The Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedech." Psalm 109:4

 "Now when it was late that same day, the first of the week, and the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered together, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them: Peace be to you. And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord. He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained." John 20: 19-23

 "Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business...These they set before the apostles; and they praying, imposed hands upon them." Acts 6: 3,6

  "For which cause I admonish thee, that thou stir up the grace of God which is in thee, by the imposition of my hands." II Timothy 1:6 (St. Paul to Timothy, whom he ordained)

"If I saw an Angel and a priest, I would bend my knee first to the priest and then to the Angel." St. Francis of Assisi (later quoted by St. John Vianney)

In the Latin Church, there are seven clerical orders, all mentioned together ¹ in the historical record by Eusebius (b. A.D. 260), in the 43rd chapter of the 6th book of his "Church History." The lowest 5 are ecclesiastical in origin; the higher two are of divine origin. The  seven orders are, in descending rank:

• I: Priests:
  • Bishops: The First Degree of the Priesthood:
    Bishops have the greatest authority and jurisdiction (aside from Popes and Patriarchs), and have the powers to ordain men into the diaconate and priesthood, and to offer the Sacrament of Confirmation (this last power they can delegate to a priest), to dedicate churches and altars, to consecrate chalices and patens and bells, and to preside at the benediction of abbots. They are said to exercise the fullness of the priesthood. The symbol of this office is the mitre.
  • Priests: The Second Degree of the Priesthood
    The duties and powers of the priest are to confect the Eucharist at the Mass; offer the Sacraments of Penance, Communion, and Unction; to preside at the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony; to solemnly baptize; to preach; to teach, guide, and sanctify his sheep. With ordination to the priesthood, a man has received the fullness of the Sacrament of Order. The symbols of this office are the stole, the chasuble, a paten with bread on it, and a Chalice filled with wine.
• II: Deacons:
  The duties of the deacon are to handle the sacred vessels, to be of service to the priests and Bishops (inside and outside of the liturgy), to read the Epistle and Gospel at the Mass, to be general stewards, and to serve the widows and orphans. This Order is Sacramental, and the first of the three divinely-instituted grades of the hierarchy of Orders, the others being the priesthood and the episcopate. The symbols of this office are the dalmatic, the stole (worn over the left shoulder, as opposed to around the neck as priests wear them, and under the dalmatic), and the Book of the Gospels.