Catholic Baptism - can I opt out?

[WhiskyCollins]

So I was raised Catholic - varying levels of devotion/strictness across my (large) family. I went to catholic schools, went to church reasonably frequently, and did my communion and confirmation.

However, I haven’t been to church except for family events for many years, and I don’t feel the loss of it or particularly want to go back, and I don’t call myself a Catholic anymore.

The only problem is, I am now a mother to a beautiful little boy and I am struggling with the idea of him being the only one in my entire family who isn’t baptised.

I know that my other family members who aren’t really religious have had their children baptised and just gone through the motions. Part of me considered doing this too, but I can’t bring myself to stand up and lie about what I believe.

I would love to let my parents stand up and say the baptismal vows in my place, as I know it means a lot to them that my son should be baptised and I have no objections. It would be easy to find loving and genuinely devout godparents amongst my family too. I would be content with my son becoming Catholic, but realistically I know this is unlikely as I won’t raise him that way myself.

Has anyone heard of anything like this happening? I will talk to my parish priest about this too but he’s quite unfriendly/unpleasant so I thought I would gauge strangers on an internet forum first 😁

Just a idea - but baptism is the one sacrament that anyone can perform, and there is no requirement, in terms of the validity of the sacrament, for anyone to make any vows, there is no requirement for the person doing the baptising to be a priest, or for the venue to be a church. The only requirement for a baptism to be theologically valid is for water to be poured while saying "(name) I baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit"

So perhaps you can have a welcoming celebration which you invite your family to, and where you create a ceremony of naming and welcoming that works for you, which could include a godparent (a friend or family member who has a genuine Christian faith) saying the above words, but also a more central segment that is secular and more personal to you and your DH.

So perhaps you can have a welcoming celebration which you invite your family to, and where you create a ceremony of naming and welcoming that works for you, which could include a godparent (a friend or family member who has a genuine Christian faith) saying the above words, but also a more central segment that is secular and more personal to you and your DH.

I'm sorry but this won't work.

Any genuine Christian would not agree to a hybrid ceremony like this.

And this - but baptism is the one sacrament that anyone can perform, and there is no requirement, in terms of the validity of the sacrament, for anyone to make any vows, there is no requirement for the person doing the baptising to be a priest, or for the venue to be a church.

This is ^ broadly nonsense.
It is however, allowed in life or death situations in which a priest or deacon is not available and the situation you describe doesn't fall under that remit.

The ordinary ministers of baptism (in other words, the people usually expected to perform baptism) are priests and deacons, because baptism is ordinarily necessary for salvation (John 3:5; )

Hi, I went to church today and on the weekly sermon sheet one of the sermons really struck accord with me and seemed fitting to this thread about baptism. It was clear in that sermon below that the prayer and faith of a member of a house can save another in that house. So if you are the head and are Christian rest on that. I like that my father can cover me with his prayers and my mother as well. Get them to pray when you are in times of distress.

(Acts 16: 32-34)
Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, and your household. They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in the house. At the same of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptised without delay.

I am an ex Catholic from a large Irish family. My ds is the only one not baptised, has never been a problem. We had a naming ceremony for him, it was lovely, and I involved my family in varied ways. Would you think of something like this?

Agree

Appreciating this thread started three months ago and the OP may have made a final decision.

I appreciate her honesty and not wishing to fake a faith that she no longer has. One of the reasons why I welcomed the law that allowed non-religious places to host weddings was because it meant the couple being true and not fake.