ans may, in case of
necessity, baptize a person wishing to receive Baptism, if they know how
to baptize and seriously wish to do what the Church of Christ does when
it baptizes. You cannot baptize a person against his will. Neither can
you baptize an infant whose parents are unwilling to have the child
baptized, or when the child will not be brought up in the Catholic
religion. But if the child is dying, it can and should be baptized, even
without the consent of the parents.

"Use of reason." Because the person must intend to do what Our Lord
ordered to be done in giving Baptism; and a little child could not
understand, and could not therefore baptize.

156 Q. How is Baptism given?
A. Whoever baptizes should pour water on the head of the person to be
baptized, and say, while pouring the water: I baptize thee in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

When the priest baptizes in the church, he uses consecrated water--that
is, water blessed for that purpose on Holy Saturday, and mixed with holy
oil. When he or any other, in case of necessity, baptizes in a private
house, he may use plain, clean water, and he baptizes without the other
ceremonies used in the church. Remember, in Baptism you can use ordinary
clean water, warm or cold. When the priest or anyone baptizes by simply
pouring the water and pronouncing the words of Baptism, we call it
private Baptism. The Baptism given in church with all the ceremonies is
called solemn Baptism. Any person baptized privately should be brought
to the church afterwards to have the rest of the ceremonies performed.

It will increase your respect for the Sacrament to know what ceremonies
are used in solemn Baptism, and what they signify. The following things
must be prepared: the holy oils, a little salt, a little pitcher or
something similar to pour the water from, a vessel to receive the water
when poured, some cotton, two stoles, one white and one purple, towels,
a white cloth, candle, and candlestick.

All being ready, the person holding the infant takes it on the right
arm, face up, and the priest, having learned the name it is to be given,
begins by asking the one to be baptized, "What do you ask of the Church
of God?" And the godparents answer for the child, "Faith." If the person
receiving Baptism is capable of answering for himself, he must do so.
Then the priest exhorts the child to keep the Commandments and love God;
then he breathes three times