A Case of Dubious Baptism
Carl Johnson and Colleen McCready have approached you about being married in your
parish next May. Colleen has been confirmed and is a regular at Sunday Mass. Carl
has never had any significant involvement with any church. His father was an atheist
and his mother an agnostic, so he was taught humanist values and free-thinking
at home. His parents both had rejected religion, and they resisted Carl's grantparents'
pleas to "at least have the child baptized." Carl has a vague recollection, however,
from when he was just a toddler; he thinks his Lutheran grandmother, Ada Swensen,
might have baptised him when she was giving him a bath one day. Now that he has
met Colleen and seen how important her religion is to her, Carl has decided he
wants to become Roman Catholic. He is willing to participate in the parish RCIA
process, and would like to be initiated before they are married.
How do you decide whether or not to baptize Carl? If you do decide to baptize
him, in what setting do you perform the baptism?
Analyze this case:
- What are the key facts of the case?
- Are there any other facts you would need or like to know?
- What are the key pastoral issues involved?
- What canons do you see as pertinent to this case?
- What literary, rhetorical & historical aspects of these canons are
important for their interpretation?
- How would you resolve the case? (specify your official position in the
parish)
- What are the grounds for your decision?
- Briefly, what are the ethical, pastoral, and theological implications of
your decision?