What Is a Pre-Jordan Class? The Philadelphia Term, Explained

A pre-Jordan class is simply a Catholic baptism preparation class — the term is regional, used mainly in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and neighboring areas, and it names the same requirement that other parts of the country call baptism prep, a baptismal class, or a pre-baptism course. The "Jordan" is the river where Christ himself was baptized; the class comes before your family's own Jordan. If a Philadelphia-area parish has asked you for a pre-Jordan certificate, this page explains what they mean and how to satisfy it.

What does a pre-Jordan class cover?

The content is the ordinary content of baptism preparation everywhere: what the sacrament of Baptism is and does (CCC 1213–1284), what happens at the font step by step, the promises parents make to raise the child in the faith, and the role and requirements of godparents (can. 872–874). Parishes typically run it as a single evening session, one to two hours, offered monthly. Some invite godparents to attend alongside parents; others require them to.

Who has to attend?

Practice varies by parish, but the common pattern in the Philadelphia area is:

• Parents — expected to attend before the Baptism is scheduled, especially for a first child. Many parishes waive the class for families who attended within the last few years for a previous child; ask.
• Godparents — often asked to complete preparation as well, either at the baptizing parish, at their own parish, or through an accepted alternative. Out-of-town godparents are the usual complication, and parishes are used to solving it.

Can the pre-Jordan requirement be met online?

Sometimes — and the honest answer is that it depends entirely on the parish, exactly as it does everywhere else in the country. Some parishes hold to in-person attendance because the evening doubles as a welcome and a pastoral conversation; others accept a certificate from an examined online course, particularly for godparents who live far away. Nothing about the Philadelphia terminology changes the underlying rule: the parish celebrating the Baptism decides what satisfies its own preparation requirement.

If your parish accepts online preparation, an examined course such as Parish Ready's godparent class produces a named certificate the parish office can verify online in seconds — which is precisely the reassurance an office wants when the preparation didn't happen in its own hall. Call the parish office first, ask "do you accept an online baptism preparation certificate for the pre-Jordan requirement?", and get the answer before anyone enrolls anywhere. If they decline our certificate after the fact, we refund the purchase in full.

What paperwork results from the class?

Completion produces a certificate — parishes variously call it a pre-Jordan certificate, a baptism preparation certificate, or simply proof of attendance. It joins the rest of the baptism paperwork: the child's birth record, the godparents' sponsor certificates from their home parishes, and the scheduling forms. The certificate does not expire in canon law, but some parishes ask for preparation within the last several years; if your class was long ago, mention it when scheduling.

A short history of the term

Why "Jordan"? Older catechetical programs in the Philadelphia region named the parents' class for the Jordan River — the site of Christ's own baptism (CCC 1223) — and the name stuck in parish bulletins and office shorthand even as programs changed. You may also see "Pre-Jordan session" or "Jordan class." They are the same thing. If you have moved to the area and your home diocese called it something else, nothing substantive is different: same sacrament, same preparation, same promises.

The short version

Treat "pre-Jordan class" as a synonym for baptism preparation class, confirm the format your specific parish accepts, complete it early — parishes with monthly sessions need four to eight weeks of lead time — and keep the certificate with the rest of your baptism documents. The name is local; the preparation, and the sacrament it serves, are universal.