Blessed John Henry Newman Parish

Sharon Lydon, Fiona Science, Clare Duggan, Bernadette Chernenko
We have been running this course for 12 months now and during this time we have completed 5 courses, and instructed 115 families, so far 110 children have been baptised.
We restructured the course;
3 sessions on consecutive Tuesdays
Requests to join the course must come from the child’s parents
Parents are then contacted by telephone to ensure they meet the church’s criteria
Forms and supplementary information are then posted or emailed to be completed in advance of the first session
We introduced God Parent forms for the principal godparents to complete prior to the baptism, to meet the church’s criteria. We feel this also helps to support the parents in choosing the right godparents for their child.

Session 1 -Why Baptism?

Open discussion
Discuss and explore reasons for baptism. Parents are given a clear understanding of the commitment they are about to make.

Session 2 – Ceremony and Symbolism

Discussion and role play.
We arrange the welcome ceremony into the parish.

Session 3 – After Baptism

How will your child know they are catholic?
Certificate presentation and celebration.