A baptism certificate template is an official document that indicates when and where a person gets baptized. It contains the names of the presiding minister and the baptized person’s sponsors (godparents). This certificate acts as proof that a particular person is baptized.
Moreover, the old version of the baptism certificate was served as an identification of a person. In the catholic region, it is considered as a meaningful symbol. It displays the baby or child’s new life in God. When the parents get the certificate, they should keep it in a safe place or they may have it framed.
This document usually receives from the church. However, you can also create your own certificate and signed it by your minister or priest. But the certificate that comes from the church acts as an official document. While the one you create can be your keepsake.
Table of Contents
What is baptism?
Baptism is a symbolic process which is considered as the foundation of a Christian life. Those people who want to live their life in the Holy Spirit look at it as the gateway. Parents usually baptized their child while still young. But actually, age doesn’t matter anyone can receive the sacrament throughout a person’s life. When a person has baptized, he is considered reborn as a child of God.
Furthermore, to baptize means ‘to immerse’ or ‘to plunge’. So, the sacrament of baptism involves an immersion of water. During the ceremony, the priest pours water over the person’s head by reciting some holy words.
The symbols used in Baptism:
It is said that the Holy Spirit goes into the person when he gets baptized. Now, he can make relationship with Jesus Christ and with his church. As baptism is a symbolic process and it involves a lot of common symbols involved in the sacrament. Let us discuss some common symbols below;
Assembly:
In the baptismal ceremony, the very first symbol is the assembly of the person’s community. Assemble is the gathering of a worshipping community. At the Church, people assemble to hear God’s word and witness the child’s baptism.
Sign of the cross:
The priest makes the sign of the cross on the person’s forehead before the ceremony. The parents and godparents also to do the same. The cross on the forehead symbolizes the love Jesus gave to his people. Additionally, it acts as a sort of “branding” that the person associated with Christ and the church.
The word of God:
During the ceremony, the priest recites the Word of God. The priest recites how God calls all His children to be His followers as Jesus did.
Baptismal promises:
It is another symbolic part of the sacrament. Parents hold their child and then priest asks what they want for their child. The parents say, Baptism and on their child’s behalf they state the baptismal promises.
Water:
After the promises, the priest pours water over the child’s head by reciting some Holy words. The water symbolizes the washing away of sins. Baptism cleans the person of his original sins. In addition, water also symbolized life because without water nothing can survive so it symbolizes the new spiritual life of a person.
Oil:
Within the ceremony, the priest massages the baby’s chest with oil. The oil contains the mixture of balsamic and olive oil. It is a symbol of giving strength to child for dealing with all of life’s future struggles.
Baptismal Candle:
The parents light a baptismal candle. It symbolizes the baptized baby’s new life. The flame is taken from the Easter Candle because it represents Christ’s light which is the light of the World. The light provides warmth, encouragement, illumination and then baby opens his eyes to the light of life and creation.
White garment:
During the sacrament of Baptism, the parents dress their children in white. It is the symbol of the new life of child in Christ. Also, the white color represents purity, life, innocence, and newness.
When to use a baptism certificate template?
When the child is being baptized by the church then a baptism certificate template comes in handy. It is an important part of the entire process as the template gives documentation that can be used in the future. The template could be useful for kids and adults as all details are stored in one place without the need to reinvent the wheel.
How to make your own baptism certificate?
Making a baptism certificate is quite easy. You just need a few materials and some information on how to go about it. Here are some tips that will help you in making your own baptism certificate;
- You can use different software for making your own certificate. Commonly, people use software like MS word or MS PowerPoint because these are the easiest to use.
- If you don’t want to make your own template, you can also download baptism certificate template form any website. After downloading, you just have to fill in the relevant information.
- When you have done by filling in the information, select a right kind of paper to print the certificate. You should select the best kind of paper that look great as a certificate.
- Also, the paper certificate shouldn’t be too thick or too thin. This is because the paper which is too thick not goes through the printer or the paper that’s too thin might trip.
Furthermore, you have to include a message in your certificate. So, think of a message and it you may need a lot of thought. Make your message meaningful and memorable. You can also take an idea from the priest and one of the Church elders that what kind of message should appear on your certificate. Thus, if they require some special phrases or wording on the document, you should include it.
Before printing the certificate, check all the information is correct or not. Proofread it thoroughly and remove grammatical or spelling errors if any.
The benefits of using the baptism certificate template:
The baptism certificate template provides various benefits to the working of the church. Also, it assists to reduce expenditure to a great extent. You just have to download the template online and fill in the information about the child and the church where the baptism is taking place.
It is an amazing online tool that helps you to reduce the expenses of the baptism process. The document is validated and legalized in an easy way by having the pastor’s signature at the bottom. This document proves very useful for the church as it saves time.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the baptism certificate template is a helpful document for making an effective baptism certificate. It serves as proof that a person gets baptized. It includes information of time and place and the name and designation of the minister. Baptism basically a holy and symbolic sacrament which contains a lot of common symbols involved in the sacrament.
Faqs (Frequently Asked Questions)
1- The child must be 6 years old or younger.
2- To sponsor a child, one Godparent is sufficient. But, the Roman Catholic Church wouldn’t recognize more than 2.
3- If a couple is selected as the Godparents then they have to be married by the Roman Catholic Church.
4- It is compulsory for the parents and Godparents to attend a pre-baptismal class.
No, a baptismal certificate isn’t a legal document in the USA. The document is legal which issued by civil authority.
