News

January Book Study Opportunity

Join the St. Peter's Children's Choir!

Join the St. Peter's Children's Choir! Jason June, our choir director, and Prudence Shaulis, our CCD director, are excited to announce the St. Peter's Children's Choir! All children from our parish (ages 6 and up) are welcome to join. Please reach out to Jason at jasone.june@gmail.com or Prudence at pshaulis@dioceseaj.org for the link to sign-up or any questions. We want to empower our young Catholics to find a way to welcome God into their hearts, minds, and lives through singing!  Thank you and we look forward to welcoming and working with the St. Peter's Church kids!

Eucharistic Adoration

On the first Friday of every month, you have the opportunity to spend time with our Lord beginning after 7AM Mass in Eucharistic Adoration. Spening time with Jesus, fully present in the Eucharist, is an intimiate experience that Christ desires to have with you. "A thousand years of enjoying human glory is not worth even an hour spend sweetly communing with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament."

Choosing Godparents for Baptism

In light of last week’s Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, here is the description of the role of Godparent for the Sacrament of Baptism. This is a review of the guidelines established by the Catholic Church concerning Godparent eligibility. These regulations should be considered before the parents of a child ask someone to be a Godparent for their son or daughter:  

·         The decision as to who should be a Godparent should be based upon who would provide the best example of Catholic living for the child and not merely for reasons of maintaining family harmony. A Godparent is chosen not primarily to honor the Godparent, but for the wellbeing and faith development of the child.  

·         In order to be a Godparent for Baptism, an individual must be a practicing Catholic, at least 16 years of age and have received the Sacraments of Initiation (i.e. Baptism, Holy Communion and Confirmation). 'Furthermore, if this person is married, then the marriage must be a valid, sacramental marriage (i.e. one recognized and blessed by the Catholic Church).  

·         The potential Godparent must be registered in a Catholic parish and able to obtain from his or her parish priest a letter of eligibility to be a Godparent. Only one Godparent is required by Church law. This Godparent may be a man or a woman. However, if two Godparents are selected (the more common practice), then there must be one man and one woman chosen. In other words, a child cannot have two men or two women as Godparents.  

·         In extraordinary situations when two Catholic Godparents cannot be found, then a baptized person who belongs to another Christian denomination (e.g. Methodist, Lutheran, or Presbyterian) may serve as a Christian Witness. However, former Catholics who have left the Catholic Church for another Christian denomination are not permitted to serve as Christian Witnesses.  

Since Baptism is the initial, foundational Sacrament in the life of a Catholic, great care must be taken in deciding who will serve as a Godparent. The guidelines above are meant to assist parents in making a reasonable and secure decision as to who will fulfill this critical role for their child. Since they are provided by the universal Church and individual priests are not vested with the authority to dispense from them, these guidelines will be strictly followed at St. Peters Church.

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