Saavedra, Antonio del Castillo y. “Baptism of St. Francis of Assisi.” 1660s.

Does the whole Baptism have to be in Latin?

No. In fact, much of the traditional rite of Baptism can be said in the vernacular. The exact amount of vernacular permitted will vary by region.

Do I need permission for a TLM Baptism?

Maybe! Talk to your pastor.

Per Summorum Pontificum:

Art. 9, §1 The parish priest, after careful consideration, can also grant permission to use the older ritual in the administration of the sacraments of Baptism, Marriage, Penance and Anointing of the Sick, if advantageous for the good of souls.¹

When should someone be baptized?

If it is an emergency, the person should be baptized as quickly as possible. Infants and children should also receive baptism as soon as possible. The Roman Ritual encourages adult baptisms to take place on the vigil of Easter or of Pentecost.

What are the differences between the new and the old rites of Baptism?

The revisions to the rite of Baptism were extensive. Detailed, side-by-side comparisons are available on numerous Catholic websites, including Traditional Catholic Priest² and CatholicScout³.

Who can be a godparent or sponsor?

Any Catholic over the age of 14, with a few exceptions, can be a godparent or a sponsor.

Heretics, schismatics, Protestants, etc. cannot be sponsors or godparents.

Parents cannot be godparents to their own child. In the previous Code of Canon Law, spouses were not allowed to be sponsors to each other.

Are there rules for Catholic baby names?

It is strongly encouraged that you choose of the name of a saint. Some cultures have a tradition of reserving the middle name for Mary, or one of Mary’s variant names.

I’m a godparent/sponsor. What do I do?

Visit the Godparents and Sponsors page!

Why are you calling it “Latin Mass Baptism” if there isn’t a Latin Mass?

This project is a sister-site to Latin Mass Wedding. LMW came with its own naming problems, as people use a variety of terms for what are two separate events: the Rite of Marriage, and the votive Mass for the bride and groom. In a rare moment of brevity for me, I decided to use branding for LMW using the most commonly used words: latin mass wedding. Many traditional rites and aspects of Catholicism are referred to as “Latin/Latin Mass XYZ,” as a sort of shorthand.

So, while traditional baptisms happen outside the Mass, and in many cases do not happen in conjunction with a Latin Mass at all, I wanted to keep the branding consistent and useful.

Sources