Frequently Asked Questions

It is a sacrament of regeneration to the life of grace, which makes one a child of God in Jesus Christ and members of his body the church; it is the primary sacrament and only after reception of baptism other sacraments could be validly received (CIC, c.849). At the sins of the past and is bestowed to a life of grace, and he enables to live a life in Christ.

Proof of one’s baptism is therefore very important so that this personality in the Church is recognized.

Preparation for Baptism:

1. Contact the parish office and express your desire to have your child baptized.
2. Follow instructions and provide the requirements needed.

Requirements for Baptism:

For reasons of practicality and convenience, it is recommended that the document listed below be required from the parents to establish the consistency of record between the legal and ecclesial documents hence avoiding possible discrepancies.

1. Present Original & Submit Photocopy of Certificate of Live Birth from PSA/LCRO.
2. Marriage Certificate (case to case basis)

For Adult Baptism:

CATECHETICAL AGE FOR BAPTISM - 7 years old (age of reason)

Clarification of the Terms “Adult” and “Infant”

Canon 852

§1 The prescripts of the canons on adult baptism are to applied to all who, no longer infants, have attained the use of reason.

§2 A person who is not responsible for oneself (non sui compos) is also regarded as an infant with respect to baptism.

Note: When candidates for adult baptism are children of catechetical age, the requirement of knowledge of the faith must be adapted to their age, as well as to their culture, background, and environment.

Canon 865

§1 For an adult to be baptized, the person must have manifested the intention to receive baptism, have been instructed sufficiently about the truths of faith and Christian obligation, and have been tested in the Christian life through the catechumenate. The adult is also to be urged to have sorrow for personal sins.

§2 An Adult in danger of death can be baptized if, having some knowledge of the principal truths of the faith, the person has manifested in any way at all the intention to receive baptism and promises to observe the commandments of the Christian obligation.

Kindly approach the parish office for assistance and be guided accordingly.

CONVERSION

PROCEDURES FOR CONVERSION (with valid baptism which could not be repeated)

The following Churches in the Philippines administer a valid baptism:

a. Lutheran Church in the Philippines (LCP)

b. Philippine Episcopal Church (PEC)

c. United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP)

d. Iglesia Evangelica Metodista en las Islas Filipinas (IEMELIF)

e. United Methodist Church in the Philippines (UMCP)

f. Convention of the Philippine Baptist Churches (CPBC)

g. Presbyterian Church of the Philippines

h. Seventh Day Adventist Church in the Philippines

Note:

The baptism administered by these Churches is to be considered valid and is not to be repeated even conditionally. The official baptismal certificate should be enough proof of its validity.

The validity of baptism administered by the various Aglipayan groups (Philippine Independent Church or Iglesia Filipina Independiente) is particularly difficult one and has to be examined individually. The official Rite of Baptism of the Philippine Independent Church is in itself valid. However, the practical implementation of its baptismal liturgy is not universally certain.

SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION

It is the sacrament of initiation that corroborates and increases the grace of baptism in the faithful, enriches them with the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit, ties them more perfectly to the church and gives them the strength give witness to spread the faith through their life and word (879; CCC1286 ff) conferred on a person who has the use of reason properly disposed and is instructed and able to renew baptismal promise (CIC, c. 889 §1).

Preparation for Confirmation:

1. Contact the parish office and express your desire to have your child baptized.
2. Follow instructions and provide the requirements needed.

Requirements:

1. Present the Original & submit a photocopy of the newly issued Baptismal Certificate.

Note: The church will not ever accept a candidate if the baptismal certificate is not available.

1. Present the Original & submit a Photocopy of Newly issued Certified True Copy of Birth Certificate from PSA

SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE

Canons on the nature of marriage:

Canon 1055

§ 1. The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole life and which is ordered by its nature to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of off-spring, has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament between the baptized.

§ 2. For this reason, a valid matrimonial contract exists between the baptized without it being by fact a sacrament.

Canon 1056

The essential properties of marriage of are unity and indissolubility, which in Christian Marriage obtain a special firmness by reason of the sacrament.

Canon 1057

§ 1 The consent of the parties, legitimately manifested between persons qualified by law, makes marriage; no human power is able to supply this consent

§ 2 The matrimonial consent is an act of the will by which a man and a woman mutually give and accept each other through an irrevocable covenant in order to establish marriage.

Preparation are as follows:

1. Contact the parish office and express your desire to be married in the church.
2. Follow instructions and provide the requirements needed

RESERVATION REQUIREMENTS AT THE PARISH OF PLACE OF MARRIAGE

1. Make a reservation.
2. Attendance at the Orientation on Wedding Rules and Regulations,
3. Conditions that need Chancery Marriage Clearance and/or Dispensation from the Bishop, must be coordinated at the Chancery Office for the issuance of marriage clearance or dispensation.

Conditions that need Chancery Clearance

1. Marriage between a Filipino and Foreign National
2. Marriage between foreign nationals
3. Marriage between a Roman Catholic and baptized Christian
4. Marriage between a Roman Catholic and un-baptized individual
5. Marriage between a Filipino and a permanent resident abroad
6. Marriage between Filipinos working abroad for at least 2 years
7. Marriage of divorcee and annulled (Church and Civil)
8. Certification of freedom to marry (Visum Est) for Filipinos getting married abroad
9. Dispensation from Lack of canonical Form

Basic Requirements for Marriage

A. Proof of identity

1. Birth Certificate

• Newly issued from PSA/LCRO.
• Basis for checking the consistency of record
• Accuracy of the name of the baptized, parents name, date of birth and gender
• Must be 6 months old inclusive of the wedding date

2. Pictures

• Recent copy of 2x2 colored ID Pictures with white background.

B. Proof of freedom to Marry:

1. Baptismal Certificate

• Must be of Roman Catholic.
• Must be six months old inclusive of the wedding date
• Data must be consistent with the birth certificate
• Must have an annotation “free to marry” or “for marriage purpose”

2. Confirmation Certificate

• Must be of Roman Catholic
• Must be six months old inclusive of the wedding date
• Data must be consistent with the baptismal certificate
• Must have an annotation “free to marry” or “for marriage purpose”

3. Publication of the banns

• The complementary Norms of the CBCP have specified how the banns are to be carried out. It now often happens that one or even both parties may not be from the parish where the wedding is to be solemnized.
• The publication of banns IS A MUST and should be done for three (3) Sundays, one or two months prior to the wedding.
• The banns should be published at the present residence and at the permanent residence (Domicile and Quasi- Domicile).

4. CENOMAR

• Newly issued, six months old inclusive of the wedding date.
• Will be required even for civilly married couple.

5. Marriage License

• This is the legal capacity of the contracting party.
• This must be secured from the place of residency of either the bride or the groom.

6. Civil Marriage Certificate

• Newly issued civil marriage certificate from PSA/LCRO for civilly married couple.
• This will serve as proof of the civil wedding and that the marriage in the parish is a    religious ratification of the civil wedding in the Roman Catholic Church.

REQUIREMENTS FOR DECLARATION OF NULLITY OF CHURCH MARRIAGE

Q: Where do I go to get a declaration of nullity of my church marriage?

A:  Please contact any of the diocesan tribunal most applicable to you:

a) the tribunal of the place in which the marriage was celebrated;

b) the tribunal of the place in which either or both parties have a domicile or a quasi-domicile; c) the tribunal of the place in which in fact most of the proofs must be collected. (MITIS IUDEX Can. 1672, 1°, 2° and 3°) E.g.

If your marriage was solemnized in any of the parishes within the Diocese of Cubao or if you have a residence within the jurisdiction of this Diocese, then you may file in the Diocesan Tribunal of First Instance of the Diocese of Cubao). Please contact us. Please link to the Directory available in our website.

Q: What are the basic requirements when filing a Petition for the Declaration of Nullity of Church Marriage?

A: Official church & civil documents to prove the celebration of the church marriage, Official church documents to prove the baptism or non-baptism of the parties in the Catholic church, Official civil documents to prove the identities of the parties, and Proofs/ evidences to support the ground/s for nullity and other pertinent documents to strengthen the case.

Q: I had a church marriage and the same marriage has already been rendered null and void by the civil court. In order to enter a new marriage in the Church, why do I still need to file a declaration of nullity of this marriage by the Church?

A: The Church has its Canon Law which protects and upholds the sanctity of marriage. Although the marriage has already been declared null by the civil court, the same marriage remains to be valid unless proven and declared null and void by a competent authority in the Church, which is the Tribunal. (Can. 1671 Art. 1) Likewise, a person bound by the bond of a prior marriage, even if it was not consummated, invalidly attempts marriage. (Can. 1085 §1)

With Discrepancy on Sacramental Records such as Baptism, Confirmation or Marriage:

PARTIAL CHANGE/S REGARDING CANONICAL RECORDS (Baptism & Confirmation & Marriage)

The Chancery of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cubao is the Secretariat of the Bishop’s Office. One of its functions is to authorize changes or corrections in the registers of baptism, confirmation and other related documents falling within the competence of the Chancellor.

It is our diocesan policy that at parish level, changes in any of the entries in the canonical records are not allowed.

Changes could only be done with the permission of the bishop of the diocese or his delegate. In order to get the approval or permission from the bishop, the diocese had established a standard procedure. Please refer below for the procedure.

PROCEDURES

1. The parish (place of baptism, confirmation or marriage) has to make a Request & Affidavit for Partial Change on Canonical Records/Endorsement stating thereof all the discrepancies and the requested corrections.

• It must be signed by the Petitioner and must be noted by the Parish Priest.
• The Request & Affidavit for Partial Change/ Endorsement letter together with the supporting requirements must be forwarded to the Chancery for assessment or evaluation.
• Requirements will be on case-to-case basis, it will be based on the kind of discrepancy or discrepancies.

1. After evaluation of the requested changes, provided all other requisites for such had been complied with, then the petitioner can be issued with a written decree for correction granted by the Local Ordinary of Cubao or his delegate.
2. The written decree from the Chancery of the Diocese of Cubao, petitioner is advised to bring it to the parish (place of baptism, confirmation and marriage).
3. Once the parish received the written decree, it can now make the necessary annotation in the proper canonical book. Corrected baptismal or confirmation certificate can now be issued based on the granted decree.
4. Authorization Letter or Special power of Attorney

1. If the petitioner is not of legal age, then it is mandatory that one of the parents must sign the Affidavit.
2. If the petitioner is of legal age, however, due to his absence & if in case a representative is sent to process the requested correction, they must provide an Authorization Letter or Special Power of Attorney for representative is residing outside Metro Manila or staying Abroad.