Baptisms

Baptism, or Christening, thanks God for his gift of life. In baptism, you are deciding to start your child on the journey of faith and asking for the Church's support.

For your child, baptism marks the start of a journey of faith, which involves turning away from the darkness of self-centredness, turning towards Christ and becoming a member of the local and worldwide Christian family.

Baptism is a 'sacrament': a visible sign of God's love. In baptism, we are thanking God for his gift of life and publicly acknowledging his love. We are acknowledging that we all need to turn away from the darkness of evil and to make a new start with God.

You may wish to ask your parish priest about having a service of Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child. In this service, you thank God for the gift of your child and the child is blessed. You do not make the same promises as in the Baptism service. If you choose to have a Thanksgiving, you may also have a Baptism service for your child at a later date.

If you want to hold a baptism, you should contact your local church. Find your parish church:

For more information on baptism, click here.