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.