Baptism
The Sacrament of Baptism is the beginning of your child’s journey in becoming part of the community of St Peter’s Catholic Church. It is the gateway to all of the other Sacraments and is a serious decision that should not be taken lightly.
As a parish, we welcome parents and children into our faith community. If you would like to discuss the Sacrament of Baptism for your child, please contact Lynne Hudson.
Reconciliation & First Holy Communion
We are the catechists that, working alongside school, nurture children before they decide to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion for the very first time.
We work as a team with the children and parents to learn about and experience the sacredness and importance of these events within our faith journey.
In the Autumn term, children and parents are encouraged to join our church community by celebrating weekly mass.
From January-May, through a series of sessions (fortnightly for children and monthly for parents within term-time) different aspects of these sacraments are examined and discussed. The parent’s sessions are designed to enable more understanding and knowledge to support their children before and after receiving the Sacraments.
These sessions are held after school in St Peter’s Church Hall.
After each session a short Liturgy is celebrated during the following Sunday Mass so that our parish can support and pray for our children.
After receiving the sacraments, children are encouraged to continue on their faith journey within our welcoming parish community. Several children have volunteered to become altar servers, serving weekend masses and school Masses on a rota basis.
(This is applicable for children from Year 4 onwards)
Confirmation
In our Diocese, preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation is offered to young people in Year 9 and above. Diocesan Guidelines ‘Come Kindle in Us the Fire of Your Love’ were published in 2014 giving clear principles and approaches, along with a bank of resources to be adapted by each group of catechists.
Our programme in St Peter’s and Corpus Christi usually begins early in the second term following an initial information evening. Young people, older than Year 9 but who have not yet been Confirmed, are also most welcome. There are two clear parts to the programme. Part 1 offers an opportunity for candidates to explore their faith in a variety of ways. Service Projects are a central focus when the candidates have the opportunity to work alongside groups of parishioners including the Children’s Liturgy Team, the SVP and the Joe’s Place volunteers. The aim is to give candidates a sense of belonging to a Eucharistic community and a way to participate in its life and mission. Part 2 is an invitation to continue the journey towards Confirmation and to reflect on the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
The programme is rooted in prayer and every session ends with a time of prayer. Candidates also have the opportunity to take part in a residential retreat. There are two celebrations during Sunday Mass and there are three sessions to support parents/carers in their role as their child’s first teachers in the faith.
The current programme is nearing completion and our candidates will be Confirmed on Wednesday 10th October at 7.00pm. All parishioners are invited to support the young people by their presence on this occasion.
Each year the catechists meet with Fr Keith to evaluate and to decide when to offer the next programme. If you would like to be Confirmed or would like to become a Confirmation catechist, please contact Maria Elliott or Mary Hughes.
Sacrament of Marriage
St Peter’s welcomes those wishing to celebrate their marriage in our community.
Please contact Fr Keith or Deacon Malcolm as early as possible in your planning as you will be invited to enrol on a Programme of Marriage preparation.
N.B. This programme is open to all those preparing for marriage from local parishes and so only runs at certain times in the year. Therefore it is advisable to contact Fr Keith or Deacon Malcolm as soon as possible.