http://rcdow.org.uk/att/files/faith/catechesis/baptism/choosingtherightprogrammeareviewofbaptismpreparat.pdf
and from a parish website in Sussex:
You will probably be expected to attend some form of preparation before the baptism,
commonly two sessions. This is partly to enable you to participate actively in the service, but
also because baptism has always been seen by the Church as connected with personal faith
and repentance. Babies cannot repent or have faith themselves, but from earliest days the
Church has baptised them in the expectation that their parents will nurture the gift of faith as
they nurture the physical and mental life of their children. The priest or deacon performing the
baptism is therefore obliged to make sure that there is a well-founded hope that your child will
be brought up in the Catholic faith.
Baptism can only be administered when at least one parent is a Catholic. If the other parent is
not a Catholic, they are under no obligation to assist in the Catholic upbringing of the child,
though of course it can be a great help if they do.
You will be required to choose at least one godparent to assist in the Catholic upbringing of the
child, but can have two if you wish. The godparent should normally be 16 or over and a
practising Catholic who has been confirmed and made their first holy communion. Baptised
Christians of other Churches can be witnesses in addition to the Catholic godparent. If you
cannot find a suitable godparent yourself, the parish priest can nominate someone. If the
godparent cannot attend the baptism, they can act by proxy.
Baptisms are recorded in a register kept in the parish Church, and you will be issued with a
certificate which is a copy of this entry. You or your child can obtain a copy of this certificate at
any subsequent time, but only by contacting the Church where the baptism took place: there is
no central register of baptisms.
Children over the age of seven will undergo preparation for baptism differently, through the Rite
of Christian Initiation for Children
