Sacrament of Baptism

The Sacrament of Baptism is a very special time for you as parents, for your child, who is to be baptised, for other members of your family, and for the parish community of St. Luke's and Holy Cross, to which through the Sacrament your child will belong.

As it is such a special time, the Church takes most seriously your request for baptism, and with all the sacraments asks parents to undergo some brief preparation in order to help them prepare for what must be a very special time in the life of their family.

Here at St. Luke's and Holy Cross, the normal procedure is as follows. Firstly to make contact with Father Paul to arrange an initial meeting at which the date for baptism can be set, normally at least two/three months notice is required. Parents will need to attend a 'Baptism Preparation Meeting' which occurs monthly. They will also need to attend an enrolment Mass (with their Godparents if possible) prior to the Baptism itself. The final part of the preparation will be a rehearsal a day or two before.

Catholic parent/s, who are not presently in the practice of attending St. Luke's and Holy Cross regularly for Mass, may be asked to begin attending and to attend a Baptism Meeting prior to any Baptism arrangements being made. The celebration of Baptism may take place at any weekend mass at either Church and on the first Sunday of the month at Holy Cross at 12:15 pm.

Sometimes people ask about fees etc. There are no fees as such in the Catholic Church, however by tradition, an offering is usually made at the time of Baptism and can be given to the priest on the day itself.

The Parish Hall at Holy Cross is normally available to hire for Baptism Receptions, and you should contact Margaret Coombes if interested.

For St. Luke's with St. James' Church you should contact Margery Collier.

Further enquiries for a baptism please contact Father Paul or email us.