The three sacraments of initiation bring us into that life:
The sacraments of Baptism, of the Most Holy Eucharist and of Confirmation.
Baptism
If you are a Catholic and have a child under the age of 7, infant baptism is strongly encouraged. For infant baptism, at least one parent must themselves be Catholic. If practicing the Catholic faith is a little bit sporadic, you are warmly welcomed and encouraged to allow God to re-light that spark of faith in your own life, so that you may more fully undertake your parental responsibilities that you take on at baptism. This is best done, to begin with, by re-discovering the practice of weekly Mass in your own family life.
At the heart of a parent’s vocation to the upbringing of children is the need to bring your child to God, and teach your child about God, and to demonstrate by example the life of joy in God that is opened up in the sacraments. A parent makes this commitment publicly at the baptism of their child.
A child also requires a sponsor, or a godparent. A sponsor is someone who is already a member of the Christian community – and in full communion with it – who is able to vouch for that promise, as well as to assist the parents in their own responsibility to bring up their child in the Christian faith. Therefore, any choice of godparent must themselves be Catholic. A child may only have 2 godparents, one male, and one female. You may also choose only 1 godparent, if you wish.
As parents, you will be required to attend a baptism preparation course before the baptism of your child. These are held on the last Saturday of the month at 4.30pm in the Narthex.
If you would like to have your child baptised, please contact the Cathedral Office at parish@sjbcathedral.org.uk to make arrangements, and to book yourself onto the baptism preparation course.
If your child is 7 or over, please contact the Cathedral Office or any of the priests, as your child, as well as yourselves, will need some preparation to receive all the sacraments of initiation at the same time. This would happen only when they are ready, and if they themselves desire the sacraments according to their capacity. Applications for Catholic high school do not form part of the consideration for baptism preparation, a process which, all being well, would take about 6 months, and involve weekly Mass attendance.
Holy Eucharist
Also known as Holy Communion, the Eucharist is the body and blood of Jesus and commemorates Jesus’ sacrifice through his crucifixion. Frequent reception of the Eucharist enables us to deepen our faith and unity with Christ.
Young people in Year 3 or above are welcome to join the First Holy Communion course here at the Cathedral. Details for registration can be found in the newsletter and the course commences in September.
Confirmation
Confirmation completes the process of becoming full members of the Church. In the sacrament we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and brings us deeper into communion with the Church.
We welcome those young people of Year 9 or above to join our Confirmation programme, details of which are shared in the newsletter ahead of registration and courses starting in September.
