Holy Baptism (or christening) is one of the ways in which we become members of the Christian family, the Church – there are others, but this is the formal way, given to us by Jesus himself. It’s a Sacrament, a visible sign (the pouring on us of water) given to us by Jesus with the words by which God gives us his grace, or power: ‘I baptise you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’
At the baptism of the young, parents and godparents promise that they’ll bring up the child as a Christian. Each child requires three godparents who must have been themselves baptised (though not necessarily in the Church of England). By custom, two should be of the same sex as the child and the child’s parents themselves can also act as godparents if necessary.
If you’d like your child’s baptism to take place at Saint Luke’s, we invite you to come to our 1030am Sunday Mass to meet Father Paul and the congregation and to see what our worship is like. We often have babies and young children in our church, so please bring them along – they’ll be very welcome. If you can’t come to that service, call in at the church any Saturday morning between 10am and 12 noon, or else give Father Paul a ring on 07876 594207.
Baptism can be held during the Sunday Mass, or else as a separate service at 12noon on a Sunday (when there’s always at least some of the regulars around to help welcome you).