Holy Baptism

It is important that parents of infants should consider their responsibilities, not only to nurture and care for their physical and mental development, but also their spiritual needs. To sow seeds of faith and bring up children who are aware that they are children of God with a call to be obedient to him is a great undertaking. Most of us who have been life-long Christians owe our faith to the parents who helped and encouraged us, as we began our journey as disciples of Christ.

The Rector will normally meet with parents who request baptism of a child to give basic instruction on the significance of baptism and the promises they will make with the godparents on behalf of their children.
Godparents must have been baptised, and at least one should be a communicant, active member of the Church of Ireland who can give the parents and the child a good Christian example of what it means to have a living faith in Jesus Christ. They will also be invited to nominate a church-going member of the parish as an additional sponsor who they would like to have a role of encouragement to help to maintain a bond between them and the church until the child comes to be confirmed.

Services of Thanksgiving for a birth. Sometimes parents feel unable to comply with the requirements demanded of them in the Baptism statements of faith or in the promises they are asked to make. In such situations the church of Ireland can offer a Service of Thanksgiving for Birth. Such services are meaningful in their own right and are often a more honest introduction to a non-church attending family of what it means to share in God’s work of creation. Years later they often turn out to have been the first step of a journey of faith which eventually brought them and their child to baptism.

There is no fee for a Baptism, or a service of thanksgiving for birth, though parents often make a thank-offering .

The Rector should always be contacted before any arrangements are made