Baptism Sacrament: St Josephs, St Pius X & St Marys Churches

Baptism of Children.

Baptism is one of the Seven Sacraments of the Christian Church; frequently called the "first sacrament", the "door of the sacraments", and the "door of the Church". Baptism is the first of the Church’s Sacraments.
If you wish to baptise your child, please follow the details on this page.

Requirements of the Church.

For an infant to be baptised lawfully it is required:

That the parents, or at least one of them, or the person who lawfully holds their place, give their consent.
That there be well-founded hope that the child will be brought up in the Catholic religion. If such a hope is lacking, the baptism is in accordance with the provisions of particular law, to be deferred and the parents advised of the reason for this. (Code of Canon Law para. 868.2).
Your parish is the local church which has pastoral responsibility for the area in which you live, (not necessarily the church where you worship). If you wish to have your child baptised in a church where you have no residential qualification, a letter giving permission must be obtained from your own parish priest.
Evidence of completion of a baptismal course.

Baptism Preparation Programme.

The programme looks at the importance of Sacraments in the Church; their relationship to each other and the impact of Baptism on the lives of the child and parents. Finally there is an overview of the ceremony. In Guildford the Baptism Preparation Course covers the churches of St. Joseph, St. Mary, St Edward and St. Pius X.

Where does the course take place?
St. Joseph’s Church hall, GU1 4AZ

When does it take place?
We start with an introduction Zoom meeting on Wednesday evening 8-9 pm. We invite any Godparents that have been chosen to join us for this online meeting.
After the introductory session, we'll send access to a series of short videos online that need to be watched at home and a journal to filled in before our next session.
We then meet in person on the next Wednesday evening in St Joseph's Catholic Church Hall (GU1 4AZ), 8-9.30pm. At this session, we review what has been studied at home and go through the practicalities of the Baptism itself.

Further Information?
In the meantime, please register on the database following the instructions carefully below.

Choosing Godparents.

To be admitted to undertake the office of godparent, a person must:

Be over sixteen years of age, unless the parish priest considers that there is a just reason for an exception to be made.
Be a practising Catholic who has been Confirmed and who lives a life of faith which befits the role to be undertaken. A non-Catholic may act as a Christian witness to the Baptism in company with a Catholic sponsor.
Not be either the father or mother of the child to be Baptised.

To Apply for Baptism Preparation for your Child.

For those wishing Baptism you must register with our church database, click here to fill in your household's details (please add your details and your partner and children.

Under "Areas of Interest" please click "Child Baptism Preparation"

Under "Communication" please click "Receive general emails" and "Receive phone calls" so that we can email and call you about the next steps.

Once you are registered on the database, a member of staff will contact you, initially by email. If you have any queries please email baptism@cpg.church or call 01483 562 704 (option 2).

What if my household is already registered on the database?
If you are already registered on the parish database then please email baptism@cpg.church and let us know which child you are seeking to baptise.

We'd love to see you at Mass

If visiting our website is a first step back towards the Church we are very pleased to welcome you! Take as much time as you want to see what we are like. Masses are streamed daily through the website on our live stream page. Join us for Mass in-person and discover what it's like now and to see how our parish might serve your needs. Although the core of the Mass (the Eucharist) never changes and is at the heart of our faith, often the way we come to that sacred place is important.

Most masses use large projector screens that display much of the liturgy or responses during the mass, so you need not worry about knowing the words and these will help you if you are uncertain when it is appropriate to stand, kneel, sit, etc.

You might be surprised by just how familiar and comfortable it feels to be in church, but whether it feels good or not, taking the opportunity to chat with our clergy team may be just the thing you need to do. Their advice and help could be all you need to find a path through the tangles of past emotions and present needs to help you and your family find your place here in the Catholic Parish of Guildford.

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