Baptism

Baptism for babies, children or adults, takes place in a service often called a Christening - at St Andrew's this is usually part of the Sunday morning Mass. In a baptism service, parents thank God for his gift of life, make a decision to start their child on a journey of faith and godparents promise help and support. The church also promises to welcome the child and to pray for the family.

If you would like to discuss a baptism at St Andrew's, please make contact with us here, and we will be happy to discuss dates as well as preparation for such an important step.

If you have any initial questions, you may find the answer on the Church of England website, by clicking here

(picture copyright English Heritage,Chris Redgrave)

Funerals

Funerals need planning at a very sad time when lots of others things we are not familiar with also need attending too.

In a Christian funeral, we give thanks for the deceased’s life, we pray for one another in our grief, and we pray for the soul of the person who has died, that God will keep them in his loving care and bring them into eternal life.  The service also expressed the great hope of the Christian faith, that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, new and eternal life is available for all who turn to God.

If you wish to have a funeral service of music and readings in St Andrew’s, or a Requiem Mass celebrated, please let the Funeral Directors know this when you make contact with them.  They in turn will contact Fr Joshua to discuss date and time.  Fr Joshua will then be in touch with you directly to discuss the content of the service.

We pray daily for all those we know who have died and remember them at Mass, as we pray too for those who are bereaved, that they may be given strength and comfort in the days ahead.

The Church of England has a helpful website to assist you at a time of bereavement, which can be found here

Weddings

Chris­tian Mar­riage is a gift of God and a sac­ra­ment of his Church.  It should be entered into with thought­ful­ness and prayer. We will be delighted to accompnay you as you take this wonderful step. Please speak with Fr Joshua if you are hop­ing to have your mar­riage ser­vice in St. Andrew's, as there are certain legal requirements according to law which must be taken into account. If you would like more details about planning your wedding, please contact us here. Further details including a guide to planning your wedding day can be found here.