Expert: Griff Ruby - 3/25/2005

Question
Dear Rev. Father,

I have some questions I hope you can address.

I have heard that faith on the part of the person being baptized is not required for the sacrament to be conferred validly.  Because, in the bible  Jesus accepted the faith of others for the salvation, forgiveness and healing of another. And, that the Church has always done likewise even in the administration of baptism. The faith of one parent for infant baptisms or the faith of one spouse for adult baptisms is sufficient to render the sacrament valid as long as the minister confering the sacrament has the intention of doing what the church does when it baptizes.  As far as validity of the sacrament is concerned, it is not required that the person receiving baptism believe or have faith in anything, although knowingly confering baptism on a non-beliver would be illicit. ( Note: the validity of the sacrament differs from salvation, a person can be validly baptized and yet not be saved. Mark 16:16).
What is important as far as the validity of the sacrament of baptism is that the water is used with God's commanded word of, “ I baptize you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”.  

Please explain whether this is correct or not.

Thank you for your time.

-Steve Stunz


Answer
That seems correct, so far as it goes.  Baptism requires
the same ingredients as any Sacrament:
1)  Form - the words used ("I baptize you...").
2)  Matter - the physical "stuff" used (water).
3)  Intention - to do what the Church does, and
4)  Minister - with Baptism, the minimum requirement is only that the minister must be a person other than the one being baptized.  One cannot validly baptize oneself, nor be baptized by a machine or a trained monkey.  Furthermore, baptism by anyone but a priest or bishop is illicit unless there is an emergency condition where the baptizee is immediately dying.

For some sacraments (such as Holy Orders) faith is indeed required of the recipient, since in such a case the recipient is himself valid matter (or not, if he voluntarily and consciously rejects the effects of the sacrament).

Another factor of interest would be conditional baptisms.  There are several different conditions where such a baptism would be called for:

1)  The person was "baptized" (?) under questionable circumstances, for example by a heretical sect or private individual who may be unfamiliar with all the necessary facets for a valid baptism.  Then the form is preceded by "If you have not been baptized before, ..."
2)  The only available "water" is seriously contaminated such that doubt as to its validity as matter can be raised, e. g. a cup of water a person may have urinated in.  Then the form is preceded by "If this is valid water, ..." and such a baptism must be followed up with a conditional baptism (1) later on once real valid water comes available.
3)  If the baptizee's heart has just stopped beating or they show up brain-dead, but the body is still warm, or at least potentially capable of being medically revived.  Then the form is preceded by "If this person is still alive, ..."

One could also talk about Baptism of Desire, and of Blood, but these are not the sacrament itself, per se, but alternative means that the Grace of the Sacrament might be applied to a particular soul who has had no opportunity to receive the sacrament itself (basically, they just about have to die on the way to the baptismal font, whether of persecution (Blood) or natural causes (Desire)).

I hope this all helps, God bless!