Baptisms
What is a Baptism?
Your child is precious to you and precious to God. You want the very best for them, and so does God. You want them to make right choices in life, for themselves and for others.
A christening is just the beginning of this and so much more.
Over the years to come, it’s a journey you’ll share together with your child by:
- Being there for your child to talk to about the bigger questions of life – questions about hope, faith and love.
- Praying for your child through the ups and downs of their faith journey.
- Showing them practically how to make those good choices in life.
- Helping them to learn more about their Christian faith, through their church and in other ways.
So it’s a commitment to start as you mean to go on.
How much does a Baptism cost?
A baptism is always free.
Do I have to be baptised to have my baby Baptised?
You can have your child Baptised regardless of whether or not you, the parents, are baptised. It is only the godparents who are required to be baptised, (so the only time a parent would have to be baptised is if they were also acting as a godparent).
Choosing Godparents
Choosing the right people as godparents for your child is a big decision. Here are some key things which might help you decide:
- Godparents will be people who’ll be in touch with your family for many years to come. They may be relatives or friends of the family.
- They’ll be people who you know you can trust and who’ll be there for your child to talk about the bigger questions in life; questions about faith, hope and love.
- They should feel ready to make some big promises about faith for your child in church.
- Every child should have at least three godparents, two of the same sex and at least one of the opposite sex to your child. Although there is no official maximum number of godparents, three or four is usual. If you’d like more than that, talk to your vicar about the practicalities and they’ll be pleased to advise.
- Parents may be godparents for their own children, providing they have at least one other godparent.
- Because of the very special role they have in supporting your child’s faith journey, godparents must be baptised themselves. Ideally they should be confirmed too, but check with the vicar about local policy on this.
- If you’re thinking about asking someone who is under 18 to be a godparent, talk to your vicar first. There’s no minimum age for godparents, but they must be mature enough to understand the responsibilities they’re taking on; your vicar can help you decide if this is the right choice for your child and the young godparent.
- The godparents must be able to attend the baptism.
You can talk to your vicar about choosing godparents and involving them in the christening preparation.
What happens during a Baptism?
During the service, parents and godparents will make important promises on behalf of the child and various symbols will be used in order to mark this commitment including making the sign of the cross on the child’s forehead, pouring water over the child forehead, and then receiving a candle as a sign of light and hope. If you would like to know step-by-step what happens, click here for a great explanation for the service.
Who do I talk to to book a Baptism?
We welcome those who live in the parish to come for baptism, or to bring their children for baptism. If you do not live in the parish, but have a connection with a church in the parish, it may still be possible to baptise you/your child, but you would need to seek the permission of your local parish priest first.
Please don’t hesitate to be in touch if you would like to talk about booking a Baptism. We would love to hear from you!