Baptism is God's most beautiful and magnificent gift...
We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment
Garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal
And most precious gift.
It is called gift
Because it is conferred
On those who bring nothing of their own;
Grace since it is given even to the guilty;
Baptism because sin is buried in the water:
Anointing for it is priestly and royal
As those who are anointed;
Enlightenment because it radiates light;
Clothing since it veils our shame;
Bath because it washes;
And seal as it is our guard and the sign of
God's Lordship.
(St. Gregory of Nazianzus - Rite of baptism of children)

Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the spirit and the door which gives access to the sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as children of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word.
The sacrament of Baptism is a serious matter and needs careful thought and preparation. The rite itself is quite explicit about the role and responsibility of parents who wish to bring their child into the family of the church through Baptism. In asking to have your child baptized you are accepting the responsibility of training him/her in the practice of the faith. It will be your duty to bring up your child to keep God’s commandments, as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbour

 

  • To have your child baptised in the Church of the Holy Spirit or Our Lady and Grace you must normally live within the boundaries of that parish.
  • One of the child's parents must be a practising Roman Catholic.
  • You are requested to attend one of our Baptism Catechesis Programmes before the Baptism of your child – see below for details.
  • The Parish Priest must be satisfied that the parents have a clear understanding of their responsibilities in having their child baptised into the Catholic Church.
  • The Godparents must be baptised Christians with at least one of them being a practising, confirmed Roman Catholic. Godparents must be firm believers, able and ready to help the newly baptised on the road to Christian life. Godparents are invited to join you in attending the Baptism course. Only two names of godparents are recorded in the Baptismal register.
  • Baptisms take place on Saturday at 12 noon in the Holy Spirit church. The first part of the baptismal rite, that is the "naming" of the child, normally takes place at one of the Masses during the weekend before the Baptism.
  • In the church of Our Lady of Grace Baptisms take place during 11am Sunday Mass.
  • It is customary to make an offering on the occasion of Baptism.
If you wish to have your child baptised please collect a Baptism Form from the Parish Priest and return it to him no later than 2 weeks before the start of your preferred programme of preparation.

BAPTISM CATECHESIS PROGRAMME

Before the baptism of your child we ask that you attend a meeting to prepare for the sacrament. The meeting is informal & relaxed and is run by young parishioners who are parents themselves. Godparents are very welcome to attend the meeting with you if they wish. We hope you will enjoy the opportunity to explore the significance of baptism and the chance to meet other parents whose children are to be baptized around the same time as your own.

You can attend the meeting before or after the birth of your baby. If you come along after the birth you are very welcome to bring the baby with you but we ask that you do not bring other children along.

The meetings will take place in the Parish Social Centre on Victoria Road, West Bridgford, next to the church of the Holy Spirit and will run from 8pm until 9.30pm on Wednesday evenings on the following dates. Please choose one meeting.

3 October 2012

7 November 2012

9 January 2013

6 March 2013

1 May 2013

3 July 2013

4 September 2013

6 November 2013