Universal prayer for baptism

A Catholic baptism can be celebrated during a Sunday Mass, during the Easter Vigil, but it can also be the subject of a specific ceremony. As in any Catholic celebration, a prayer of the faithful (also called common assembly prayer). If baptism occupies the center of a Mass, the universal prayer is then the one that the animation team prepares for Sunday (an intention could be dedicated to the baptized person(s), written, generally, by the same team). If the baptism is celebrated alone, the parents of the baptized prepare the universal prayer.

How to prepare the universal prayer for a baptism?

The universal prayer for a baptism is a variation of those that can be heard at every Mass or other ceremonies (such as religious funerals in particular). We have an identical framework: several prayer intentions and a refrain sung by the assembly between each of them. It is the motive of intentions that differs.

How is the universal prayer for baptism constructed?

We speak of a “funnel” construction because with each intention we widen the scope of our prayer (we begin by praying for the baptized and end by praying for the world).

• Chorus

• First intention: refers to the baptized(s). We commend it to the Lord and address our request for these new children of God.

• Chorus

• Ulterior motive: it concerns those who surround the baptized and in particular all the people who will have a role to play in their Christian life and in their progress on their journey of faith (parents, godfather, godmother…)

• Chorus

• The third intention it refers to the Church, the people of the children of God. A baptism is an opportunity to remember our mission as baptized and to pray that the light received by entering the community of Christians continues to grow and shine. We can also pray for the parish assembly that welcomes the newly baptized; for persecuted Christians around the world…

• Chorus

• the last intention it is an opening to the world, to the mission of the baptized in the world…

• Chorus

It is worth adding another more specific intention, that of praying for the deceased of the family, or for a loved one who is going through a difficult time,… It is good to take advantage of being together to include in our prayers those who suffer or miss . The joy of this festival should not exclude pain and suffering, but rather envelop them, transcend them.

Intents end with: “We beseech you, Lord” or “Let us pray to the Lord.”

How to write down prayer intentions for a baptism?

While it is preferable not to do them at the last minute, it is important that you take some time to write them down. The preparation for baptism (whether for a baby, a child or an adult), the reading and the choice of texts, are opportunities to reflect on the meaning of baptism for us. Why do I want to be baptized? Why did I decide to baptize my son? What does it mean to me to be a Christian? What does it mean to me that my child is a child of God, a brother or sister of Jesus? By answering these questions truthfully, we can more easily write intentions that touch our Father’s heart.

If several children are being baptized on the same day, families can write the intentions together or divide the wording of the universal prayer and each write one or two intentions.

When and by whom is the universal prayer read at a baptism?

The universal prayer occurs at the end of the Gospel moment, just before the celebration of baptism. It is read by one or more people in the assembly, chosen in advance.

Examples of refrains for the universal prayer of a baptism

“O Lord, on this day, hear our prayers.”

“Hear, Lord, the prayer that arises from our hearts.”

“Hear our prayers, hear our voices, hear our prayers that come up to you.”

“By the ways of life, be my light, Lord”

Proposals for prayer intentions for a Catholic baptism

Examples of prayer intentions for the baptized

“For these children N… and N…; that by baptism they may be adopted children of God and be reborn in the Spirit, we pray to the Lord, “

“For N…, marked today with the sign of the cross; may he discover the happiness of being loved by God, may his faith guide and sustain him throughout his life. We pray to you, Lord”,

“Lord, today you welcome N. into your home. May this day be for him the beginning of a new life in the love of Christ. We pray to you, Lord.”

Examples of prayer intentions for those close to the baptized

“N… and N… will have to grow as living members of the Church; so that they may be sustained by the word and by the example of their parents, their godfathers and godmothers, we pray to you, Lord,”

“May our homes be places of joy, listening, forgiveness and mutual respect for these children where they will grow in the love of Christ and in the knowledge of God; we beseech you, Lord,”

“For those who will help her grow: her parents, her family, her godfather and her godmother. May the Lord give them the strength and light to accompany him and open his eyes to what is beautiful, his mind to what is true, his heart to what is well. We pray to the Lord.”

“So that we know how to accompany N… so that he can fulfill himself as a Christian and bring his light to the world; so that you put witnesses of your love on his path. We pray to you, Lord.”

Examples of prayer intentions for the parish community, the Church, the people of God

“That Christians express through the way they live their attachment to the cross of Christ with which they were marked on the day of their baptism, we pray to the Lord”

“So that all Christians remember their baptism and have in their hearts to agree on their actions and their words to be true workers of your Kingdom, we pray to you, Lord.”

“For the parish community that welcomes N. today, may your love, Lord, protect it, strengthen it and make it shine. We beseech you, Lord.”

“So that your Church, Lord, like Jesus, may have an open heart to all men and have the courage to face today’s challenges always bearing witness to the Gospel, we pray to you”

“For the men of today, those who believe and those who doubt, those who love and those who hate, may your light, Lord, reach them and give them to discover your love; we pray Lord.”

Let the light of your baptism shine with the prayer communities.

Through our Baptism, we are all called to holiness. He regularly receives the presentation of a saint and walks with him towards the Lord, thanks to this community of prayer.

Baptism is only the beginning of the road; As parents, we must help our children to grow as Christians, therefore, we invite you to pray this novena to Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, the grandparents of the Savior, who guide us to Jesus in all stages of family life.