Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit and the door which gives access to the other Sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and return as children of God. We become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in the mission. Baptism is a Sacrament of regeneration through water and the Word.     

If you wish for your child to be Baptised here then please contact Canon Tom If as an adult you wish to follow the life of a Christian in the Catholic Church please ask about our RCIA programme.

prayer for Baptism

Father in heaven, when the Spirit came down upon Jesus at his Baptism in the Jordan, you revealed him as your own beloved son. Keep me, your child, born of water and the Spirit, faithful to my calling. May I, who share in your life as your child through Baptism, follow in Christ’s path of service to people. Let me become one in his sacrifice and hear his word with faith. May I live as your child, following the example of Jesus. Amen

The Holy Eucharist completes Christian initiation. Those who have been raised to the dignity of the royal priesthood by Baptism and configured more deeply to Christ by Confirmation, participate with the whole community in the Lord’s own sacrifice by the means of the Eucharist. At the Last Supper on the night Our Saviour was betrayed, he instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his body and blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross through-out the ages and until he should come again; and so to entrust to his beloved spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and Resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.

Children are prepared to receive Communion through the First Holy Communion and Reconciliation course. Adults are prepared through the RCIA course.

First Holy Communion and First Confession

Children who have been baptised in the Catholic faith and are currently in school class Year 3 and above are invited to prepare for the sacraments of First Holy Communion and First Confession.

The children learn about the gifts which God has given to the world through creation, Baptism and Bible stories. They will be asked to find out the significance of why things are said and done during Mass, which makes it more meaningful for them. The children will have the opportunity to experience and learn through creative and drama activities during the preparation. The catechists not only provide a spiritual experience but an enjoyable and memorable time during the children’s preparation for their special day.

     ‘If I was worried I could talk to one of the grown ups and they always helped me’

     ‘I didn’t know anyone and was nervous but the teachers helped me to make friends and I was never on my own’

     ‘The teachers always showed me what to do so I wasn’t worried about anything’

     ‘I loved my First Communion day’

The matrimonial covenant by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership for the whole of life is by its nature ordered towards the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring. The covenant between Baptised persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a Sacrament.

In many countries the situation may arise of a proposed marriage between a Catholic and a non-Catholic or a non-Christian. This is something that the couple can discuss with their local parish priest.

If you wish to book your wedding at the Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Corpus Christi Church, or St Joseph’s Church please contact Canon Tom or phone him on 01934 621929 to arrange to come in for an initial meeting.

If you are resident in this area but planning to have your wedding elsewhere in the UK or perhaps overseas, then you should also arrange to meet with Canon Tom in order to discuss this and to begin the necessary paperwork. This should be done a long time before the proposed wedding date.

We run marriage preparation courses for engaged couples twice a year in the Sacred Heart parish rooms.

The Church believes and confesses that among the seven Sacraments there is one specially intended to strengthen those who are being tried by illness: the Anointing of the Sick. The Anointing of the Sick is not a sacrament only for those who are at the point of death. Hence as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for them to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived.

If a sick person who received this Anointing recovers their health they can in the case of another later illness receive this sacrament again. If during the same illness the person’s condition becomes more serious this sacrament may be repeated. It is also fitting to receive the Anointing of the Sick just prior to a serious operation. The same holds for the elderly whose frailty becomes more pronounced.    

If you or a member of your family would like to receive the Sacrament of the Sick please contact Canon Tom or phone 01934 621929