Prior to baptising a child, the parents and godparents are asked to attend a preparatory meeting.
Whenever possible, we will try our best to be flexible in terms of dates and timings.
For a child to be baptised, at least one of the parents must be of Catholic faith.
The parents commit to bringing up the child within the values of the Catholic faith and it is duty of the priest performing the baptism to ascertain that the essential requirements to honour such commitment are met.
Regardless of the sex of the child who is being baptised, at least one godfather or one godmother (or both) will have to be present.
The godparents will have to be at least 16 years old, be of Catholic faith and have received the Sacrament of Confirmation.
The godparents’ duty is to help the child in taking his/her first steps in the Catholic faith, as well as assisting the parents in conveying the child Christian values.
The Holy Mass is not usually performed as part of the rite of Baptism, which usually lasts 25-40 minutes.
Our Parish can celebrate Baptisms in English, Italian and, if required, also in Polish, French and Spanish.
All Baptisms are filed in a register held by the Parish. The parents or the person who has been baptised can request a copy the Baptism certificate through the Parish Office.
If you require further information or to arrange a date for the Baptism, please contact the Parish Office.
Baptising adults
Every year we baptise many adults, in some occasions these baptisms are linked to pre-marriage courses, at times the people being baptised are from non-Christian confessions.
The Baptism represents the initiation both to the Christian faith and way of life (which encompasses receiving the gift of God through Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist), therefore preparing properly for it is of the utmost importance.
We hold regular meetings with the aim to assist the catechumens (those who are preparing to be baptised), in response to the divine initiative and together with our Parish, in maturing their faith and completing their conversion by introducing them to the mystery of salvation and the practice of evangelical standards.
The meetings, which last about one hour, are usually held on Friday evenings at 8pm in the Parish premises. The duration of the preparation course is approximately one year.