Through Baptism, God enables us to participate in his life in Jesus Christ and makes us his children. It is through this sacrament that we receive the Holy Spirit and become members of the People of God, of the Body of Christ, which is the Church. Baptism becomes our commitment to grow in this new life and to strive to acquire spiritual maturity. By baptism, God purifies us from sin.

Baptism is the sacrament of faith which has the Risen Christ as its source, and it is the offer of salvation for all people.  Intimately linked to Confirmation and to Eucharist, Baptism is, with these two sacraments, Christian Initiation. The child is baptized in the faith of his/her parents, of his/her godparents and of the Church.

Basic Guidelines and Information for Infant Baptism

Parents are responsible for bringing their child to the Sacrament of Baptism as soon after birth as possible. Except in case of necessity, the church is the usual place of baptism.

 In order that a child be baptized, it is necessary that…

• the parents or guardians consent to having their child baptized,
• and that there is reasonable hope that the child will be brought up in the Catholic Faith.

GODPARENTS: A person may only have one or two godparents (also called sponsors); if two are chosen, they must be male and female.

In order for someone to be eligible as a godparent, these are the requirements…

• they be chosen by the parents,
• have the ability and the intention to fulfill the role,
• be at least 16 years of age, and…
• be a confirmed Roman Catholic, who has already received the Most Holy Eucharist, is leading a life in harmony with the Catholic Faith (including Marriage) and will be a good role model for the one being baptized,
• and be neither the father nor the mother of the child.
• A baptized person who belongs to another Christian community may be admitted only as a “Christian witness” (not a godparent) provided that there is at least one Roman Catholic godparent who fulfills the above criteria. A non-baptized person cannot be a witness.

Baptismal Preparation

If you are interested in having your child baptized, please contact the parish office.

• Preparation entails a meeting with one of our families who will share the gift and responsibility that comes with baptism as well as the vision of our parish and help you integrate into the parish community.
• Please introduce yourselves to Father Nick if you haven't yet done so.

It is extremely important to take your faith-life seriously because, before God, you have taken on an awesome responsibility for the salvation of another—your own child!  Your commitment and openness to baptismal preparation will help develop the faith-life of your child as he/she matures.

Other Information

Are you living in a parish other than the one in which you wish to have your child baptized?

You are required to have a letter from your Pastor giving permission for your child to be baptized at Queen of Peace. This requirement respects the reality that pastors normally have sacramental jurisdiction only over their own parishioners.  Therefore, when one seeks a sacrament outside of one’s parish, the proper pastor’s permission is necessary.  Furthermore, the invitation to connect with one’s own proper parish first is founded on the hope that the faith-life of the family and of the one(s) to be baptized will be lived in community and not in isolation.

Marital Status

Baptism is not denied if the parents are unmarried or not married in the Roman Catholic Church.  However, there may be reason to postpone Baptism if parents are not practicing the Faith, or have no intention of living a Catholic life in harmony with the Gospel.  If your status is not in harmony with the Roman Catholic understanding of sacramental marriage, please inquire as to how we may help you enter into proper sacramental marriage or, if need be, seek a declaration of nullity by the Church. 

For 2^nd graders and those older who have not received First Holy Communion

The best preparation for First Confession and First Communion will be found at Queen of Peace School. The preparation is integrated into their school day. And the best way that we can help our students be prepared to receive the sacraments is to bring them into the presence of Christ himself in the Eucharist. All Catholics are expected to attend Mass every Sunday. It’s the most basic expectation for being a Christian. If you have a student in 2^nd grade who is ready to begin their preparation for First Confession and First Communion, you are asked to take special care in making sure your family is attending mass every Sunday. This is a requirement for your child to begin Sacramental preparation. 

We will have a parent meeting following the 10 am Mass at Queen of Peace on Sunday, October 8th, 2023

First Communion Classes will be held on Wednesday nights throughout the school year

New Confirmation Students (9th grade and up)who would like to be confirmed in the fall of 2024, please plan to attend an informational meeting with your parent(s) on Sunday, October 1st following the 10 am Mass at Queen of Peace. 

Confirmation classes will be held on Sundays Dec. 10, Jan. 28, Mar. 10 and May 12 following the 10 am mass at Queen of Peace. Confirmation students will also be expected to participate in parish life by attending mass weekly, joining a Wednesday night discipleship group, finding ways to serve within the parish, and attending 2 retreats during the year (one must be specifically oriented toward confirmation) 

All of this information as well as more will be covered during the meeting on Sunday, October 1, 2023.

Current confirmation students who are scheduled to be confirmed on October 28, 2023, please attend any meetings with your discipleship groups beginning in September, and attend the following meetings that will be held Sundays following the 10:00 am Mass at Queen of Peace: Sep. 10, Sep. 24, Oct. 22.  
We will hold a rehearsal/ prayer vigil on Friday, October 27 that you need to attend with your sponsor from 5:30-8:00 pm.  Please see emails from Father for any updates. 

Please Call the Parish office

The Church has the privilege to pass on, in its fullness, the clear teaching of Our Lord Jesus Christ regarding the profound mystery of marriage. Namely, the love between husband and wife, consecrated in marriage, is called to be a sign of God’s love for his people. The unity seen in the mystery of the Holy Trinity — the community of love who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit — is symbolized and lived out by the married couple.

If one of the spouses is Catholic, the wedding must take place in a Catholic Church in order to be a valid marriage. For a Catholic to marry outside the Church, while there may be a legal and natural commitment made to each other, they are objectively not yet married.

Out of reverence and love for God’s plan for marriage, family and you, Queen of Peace Parish has established marriage preparation policies which each couple is asked to fulfill.

Where to start in the planning process...

Picking a date:

Weddings are typically celebrated on Saturday afternoons at 2 p.m. Rehearsals are Friday evenings at 5 or 5:30 p.m. We are happy to “pencil” in a date for you on our calendar to help in the planning process but the date will not be confirmed until you meet with your pastor and complete the pre-nuptial interview.

If you or your fiancé is a registered member of Queen of Peace or Holy Family please contact Father Nick to set up the interview. If you live outside of the Cloquet area please contact the pastor of your parish church to set up an interview. Once this interview is complete we will be able to confirm the date for your wedding.

Marriage preparation classes:

If you or your fiancé are a member of Queen of Peace or Holy Family and you live in the Cloquet area you may complete your marriage preparation at Queen of Peace. Generally this preparation will consist of a couple meetings with the priest, meetings with a mentor couple, and the completion of an “Engaged Couples Weekend” or its equivalent.

If you are not a members of Queen of Peace and live outside the Cloquet area you will complete your marriage preparation classes through your parish. Contact your parish to see what types of classes they offer and what their requirements are.

Planning the Ceremony

The priest or deacon who is officiating at your wedding can help you plan the order of service. Things to consider are whether or not Mass will be celebrated, what scripture readings will be chosen and any other details pertinent to the service.

To arrange music contact our Director of Sacred Music Rafal Adamski 218-879-6793 at the parish office.

Fees

There is no fee to get married at Queen of Peace but a suggested donation of $200-300 to cover programs, utilities and facilities use to the parish would be appropriate. There is a separte fee if there is to be a reception held at the school gymn. This would be separate from any gift you may wish to give to the celebrant of the wedding. A gift to the celebrant should be proportionate to the time he spent with you in your preparation for marriage. Our Director of Sacred Music's contract confirms that he is the accompanist for all weddings. A separate cantor is also available. His fee and the fee for the cantor will be based on how much he and the cantor need to prepare for the music selected for the wedding.

Feeling Called to the Priesthood?  Check out Vocations Duluth for more information https://www.facebook.com/VocationsDuluth?fref=ts

The Catholic Faith is beautiful and rich.  If you are curious about the faith, or if you are looking to join the Church; Please join our OCIA classes. These normally begin in the Fall. But its possible to join the Church at anytime. If you would like more information, please contact Father Nick at the parish office.