Baptism Process for Parents

Step 1 must be completed first before steps 2-4. Please do not submit any paperwork to the Faith Formation office until after the interview.

Step 1: Attend the Baptism Interview

Interviews are conducted on the 1st Tuesday of month from 6:30pm-7:30pm. No appointment is necessary. Parents may complete the registration form at the interview or bring a completed form (can be downloaded from the church website: www.sppnb.org). Bring a copy of your child’s state issued birth certificate (Health Dept.) to the interview. Hospital certificates with your baby’s feet are not acceptable.

Please understand that the date of the interview is recorded and valid for one year. Registration and documents are NOT kept for more than one calendar year.

Step 2: Gather and Submit Godparents Sacramental Records

Godparents must meet the requirements established by Canon Law. A Godparent must be 16 years old and have received the Sacraments of Baptism, 1st Communion, and Confirmation. If married, the Godparent MUST be married in the Catholic Church. A Baptism certificate with notations dated within the last 12 months is sufficient or individual certificates. The marriage certificate is NOT sufficient for proof of all sacraments.

Only one man and one woman may serve as Godparents. Parents may not be Godparents to their children. Only one Godparent is required.

You may have one Christian Witness along with a Godparent. A Christian Witness is a baptized and believing Christian of another denomination. A baptized Catholic who is not practicing the Catholic faith or who is not fully initiated may NOT serve as a Christian witness.

Documents can be emailed or mailed to the Faith Formation office. The church address is 386 N. Castell Ave., New Braunfels, TX 78132 attn: Mary Kravec. Email: marykravec@sppnb.org. Sacramental records can also be dropped off at the church in the Faith Formation office.

Step 3: Baptism Class

Parents and Godparents must attend a Baptism class. The classes at Sts. Peter and Paul are monthly on the 2nd Tuesday in Spanish at 6:30pm and the 4th Tuesday in English at 6:30pm. The Baptism class is valid for 3 years.

Godparents not residing in New Braunfels may attend a class at their church and submit a letter or certificate of completion along with the sacramental records.

If there are extenuating circumstances, an online option can be provided. Please contact Mary Kravec at marykravec@sppnb.org

Step 4: Schedule a Baptism Date

Due to the high volume of baptism registrations, the Faith Formation office is unable to call every applicant. Please contact the Faith Formation to schedule your child’s Baptism once steps 1-3 are completed. The Baptism date will not be scheduled until all requirements are met. The direct line is 830-625-4531 x275

For children whose age is 7-17 years old, please visit OCIA for Children and Youth.

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. 

Are you an adult seeking First Communion?

Read more about OCIA here!

Regular scheduled times for reconciliation are Wednesdays from 5:00pm-7:00pm, Fridays from 3:00pm-5:00pm, and Saturdays from 10:00am to 12 noon in the church.  You may also make an appointment with the priest for reconciliation by calling 830-625-4531 ext. 235.

Confirmation is  a two-year program beginning in the 9th grade. Students who desire this sacrament will attend our Life Teen program year 1 then the Chosen program year 2 on Sunday 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? Adults interested in recieving the Sacrament of Confirmation, please download the form below and send to Sister Sheeja at srsheejathomas@sppnb.org.

Adult Confirmation Registration Form

The Sacrament of Marriage is a covenant, which is more than a contract. Covenant always expresses a relationship between persons. The marriage covenant refers to the relationship between the husband and wife, a permanent union of persons capable of knowing and loving each other and God. The celebration of marriage is also a liturgical act, appropriately held in a public liturgy at church. Catholics are urged to celebrate their marriage within the Eucharistic Liturgy.

Celebrate the sacrament of marriage at Sts Peter and Paul Catholic. 

To begin, reach out to Elizabeth Carmona

elizabethcarmona@sppnb.org 

830-625-4531 ext. 201

"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.

Please contact 830-625-4532 Ext. 235 for more information.

 "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:

The 3 Major or "Sacred" Orders:

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.

For further discernment into the Sacrament of Holy Orders, please contact the parish to make an appointment with the priest.  You may also contact the Vocation office of the Archdiocese of San Antonio at 210-735-0553 or thecall@savocations.org