Welcome to Sacramental Preparation at Brook Green. As a parish, we offer the full range of Sacraments required by our parishoners. For further details on any of the information, please contact the Parish Priest.
BAPTISM
Holy Baptism is the sacrament by which God adopts us as his children and makes us members of Christ’s Body, the Church and inheritors of the kingdom of God. The outward visible sign of baptism is water, symbol of cleansing and refreshing, but a reminder also of the crossing of the Red Sea from one shore to another. The inward and spiritual gift given us by God in baptism is union with Christ in his death and resurrection. Through baptism we are able to receive God’s grace in the other sacraments.
Parents presenting babies for baptism are required to attend a baptism preparation class. These are held monthly, except in August. Please contact the parish office if you have a child for baptism. Please note that the baptism of older children presents difficulties, and for children of school-going age we will ask that they attend special preparation sessions (see section on Mini-Cats). Note also that one heavily oversubscribed local school applies Catholic canon law, which asks that children be baptised before they are six months old.
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION
Families who regularly worship at Holy Trinity are invited to enroll their children for the parish preparation for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist when they are in Year 3 at school.
Parents play a major part in the preparation and are guided through it with the help of parents’ meetings and the Family Work Book. Catechists also lead the children in group activities, and the parish prays for the children and celebrates Sunday Mass with them. The children have a special involvement in the 10 am Sunday Mass during this time.
Participation at Sunday Mass is at the heart of the preparation so it is essential that the family attend Mass regularly before embarking on the programme. The meetings for children and parents take place on alternate Saturdays in term time. The enrolment is in September.
THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION
For young people from Year 9 or 10 onwards, there is an announcement in the newsletter inviting them to write personally asking to join the preparation. The programme usually begins in October or November with some activities aimed at involving the young people in the life of the parish. The announcement appears weekly from September into October.
The confirmation meetings include speakers, activities, prayer and discussion led by catechists. There is also an away-day at a youth retreat centre.
Adults who wish to be confirmed usually join the adult inquirers group.
WEDDINGS
If you are inquiring about marrying here, then congratulations on your forthcoming wedding. This must be a happy moment, and one full of expectation for yourselves. We join you in asking God’s blessing for a long and happy marriage.
All bookings for weddings at Holy Trinity are taken on condition that both parties are free to marry in the eyes of the Catholic Church. We require at last six months notice, and compiling of all the necessary documents. If one of you is not a Catholic then it will be necessary to apply for the dispensation from the diocese. Couples are also required to attend the marriage preparation day which is usually held on a Saturday in February or March.
Couples not resident in the parish need to get the permission of their parish priest to marry here.
Please understand that many couples want to marry in our beautiful church, and that some dates do book up a long time ahead.
We also help couples resident in the parish but marrying elsewhere to complete the necessary paperwork. This will also usually mean participating in a marriage preparation course here or elsewhere. Again, at least six months notice in advance is necessary.