Infants
Our Espiritu Santo Parish community rejoices with you on the baptism of your child. It is with joy that through baptism we welcome children into our faith community and relationship with Jesus Christ.
Baptism is the first sacrament of initiation into our Catholic Christian faith, followed by Holy Communion and Confirmation as your child grows. In baptism, we join the community of Christian believers as the Body of Christ.
At Espiritu Santo, we celebrate group baptisms for children below age 7 on Saturdays, although other times may be arranged. We also schedule individual family baptisms during any of our weekend Masses. For information about baptizing your child, please call us at 727 726- 8477 or email baptism@espiritusanto.cc.
We look forward to welcoming your child into the Espiritu Santo community of faith, and into our Roman Catholic Church.
Adults
Baptism of adults – anyone age 7 or above – comes through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). This baptism is the central part of the great Easter Vigil Mass when these adults also receive the sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Communion, becoming fully initiated into the Catholic Church. Our RCIA group meets weekly beginning in September, with occasional breaks, to prepare our unbaptized Catechumens for the Easter Vigil Mass. Special age- appropriate considerations are made to prepare youths, as needed.
We also invited those who are already baptized, either as Catholics or in another Protestant faith tradition, who want to prepare for Confirmation to come into full communion with the Catholic Church. This preparation is done through RCIA or individually, depending on one’s circumstances and faith practices.
For information about RCIA or adult confirmations, please contact Sue Sferra at the parish office 727 726-8477, ext. 1312, or at sue@espiritusanto.cc