Requirements for baptism in Ecuador

Baptism is known as a Christian ceremony in which a sacrament is administered to a believer of that religion. Here we will present a series of requirements necessary to contract baptism in Ecuador.

Documents and requirements to baptize a child in Ecuador

In order for a child to acquire the sacrament of baptism in Ecuador, the parents and/or representatives must find two godparents, schedule an appointment at the preferred church and meet a series of requirements requested by the Catholic Church.

1. Parents must present the child’s birth certificate.
2. The primary residence of the child’s parents must be located in the same parish where the baptism is performed.
3. They must register the child at least 15 days in advance before the day of the baptism.
4. Parents must fill out a registration form that will be given to them by the staff in charge of the baptismal area of ​​the church of the chosen parish.
5. The representatives and godparents must receive a course prior to the child receiving the aforementioned sacrament.

How much does it cost to baptize a child?

In Ecuador and in the rest of the world, the Catholic Church does not establish a price for believers to acquire such a sacrament or to receive any other, however they receive donations that allow them to maintain the church or make some arrangement to it.

Requirements to be a baptismal godparent

To be a godparent of a child who wishes to contract the sacrament of baptism in Ecuador, they must be over 16 years of age; they should also have received the sacrament of communion and confirmation; also attend mass regularly and lead a life framed in Catholicism; Likewise, godparents must be aware that their role is very important in the course of their godson’s life.

What is baptism?

Baptism is the first sacrament that a believer receives in the Catholic Church; represents the beginning of the public declaration of our faith before the Lord Jesus Christ, baptism also exemplifies how the new believer has left the past and begins a new life through the new birth of him in Christ.

Baptism is also known to us and we take it as the foundation of Christian life, the gateway to access to the other sacraments and the portal of life in the spirit. Through baptism we are freed from sin and regenerated as children of God.

The name of the first sacrament as «baptism» arises from the character that means to submerge, to introduce into the water, this act represents and symbolizes the burial of the catechumen in the death of Christ, from whom the transformation of a new creature is born by resurrection. This sacrament is also known as the bath of regeneration and renewal of the holy spirit.

Up to what age can I baptize a child?

In the life of a believer in the Catholic Church, the baptism of a child is planned from birth, this is done because in Ecuador the churches grant this sacrament to children up to five years and eleven months, after that age the child must perform a previous course before baptism is called catechesis.

Baptism of the baby can be scheduled before the Catholic Church one month after birth regardless of the month in which it was born, however the most common months in which this sacrament is received is between April and May because the first is considered as holy month and the second because one of the hottest months of the year and in which the baby will endure the water with which he will be blessed.

What are the sacraments of the Catholic Church?

The church presents 7 well-known sacraments for Christian initiation that are defined as sensitive and effective signs of God’s grace and through which the believer is offered to be children of God.

The 7 sacraments presented by the Catholic Church towards the believers of this religion are the following:

1. Baptism: it is understood that it is the sacrament of initiation that opens the doors to the Christian life, incorporating the individual into the Catholic community, into the mystical body of Christ. Baptism forgives original sin, as well as personal sins and the punishment due to sin. Likewise, baptism confers the theological virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
2. The second sacrament is known as Chrism or Confirmation, which is when the baptized reaffirms his faith in Christ in which he receives the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. This sacrament is to give the opportunity to the human being who received the first sacrament of baptism by decision of a third person, commitments that were provided to them and in which from that moment they reaffirm after reaching the «age of reason»
3. This third sacrament is the Eucharist where the memory of Christ is celebrated in which his last supper, his position and his resurrection are commemorated. In this celebration the Christian receives the consecrated host. Upon receiving the Host (act of Communion) the faithful must be in a state of grace, at that moment the faithful must have confessed their sins to receive divine forgiveness in the sacrament of confession or penance.
4. The fourth sacrament we know as confession, reconciliation or penance is when the individual confesses their sins to a priest who is the representation of Jesus Christ and in which a penance is applied to provide reconciliation with Christ once completed. The confessor kneels before the confessor or priest to declare the sin and ask God to forgive him.
5. The fifth sacrament is the Anointing of the Sick by which the priest prays and anoints the sick to stimulate their cure through faith, listens to the cries of the handicapped and gives them God’s forgiveness. This sacrament can be received by anyone who is going through an illness without necessarily being in a state of dying at any time.
6. The sixth sacrament is the priestly order that grants the authority to exercise functions and ministries that refer to the worship of God, as well as the salvation of souls. This sacrament is divided into three degrees, the first is the episcopate that confers the fullness of the order and makes the legitimate successor candidate of the apostles and to whom the offices of teaching, sanctifying and governing are entrusted; the second is the presbyterate that configures the candidate as a priest and good shepherd where he is capable of acting in the name of Christ and administering divine worship; the third is the diaconate where the order for service in the church is conferred on the candidate through divine worship, preaching, guidance and charity.
7. The seventh sacrament is the marriage that sanctifies and establishes the union of a man and a woman for the foundation of a new Christian family. This is celebrated in the church and is sanctified in indissolubility and fidelity. The characteristic of this sacrament is that it is not officiated by the priest but by the couple themselves who, in front of the church, ask for and receive from the priest the blessing for the family that is about to be formed.

Frequent questions

Baptism is the first sacrament that an individual born under the Catholic belief of their representatives receives as a child and through the conception of the rest of the sacraments they reaffirm their religious ideology.