Life Events

 

Please scroll down the page for information on Thanksgivings and Christenings, Confirmation, Weddings and Funerals

 

Celebrating new life – Thanksgiving and Christening Services

 

Every new life deserves to be celebrated! We would love to help you celebrate by having a service of thanksgiving or a christening for your new baby, or for an older child too. The starting point is to come on a Sunday morning at 10am for a few weeks and make yourself know to one of the ministers or the Welcome Team. This will help you get a feel for who we are and what the church family is like.

 

After you have visited, we will arrange for one of the team to visit you at home, to think through the sort of service that is for you, and then to prepare for the service itself. 

 

A Thanksgiving usually suits those families that simply want to celebrate and thank God for the new life entrusted to their care. A Christening includes baptism and usually suits those families who want to commit to bringing up their child with Christian love and care, and as part of the wider Christian family. At St Mary’s both Thanksgivings and Christenings usually take place as part of our regular morning worship. Families are welcome to bring lots of guests!

 

For frequently asked questions about Godparents follow this link to the Church of England website

 

Celebrating new life – Baptism for adults

Since the time of Christ, baptism has been seen by Christians as the simple way in which we acknowledge our need of God and commit to following the way of Jesus for our lives. Baptism marks the first step on the journey that we share with other Christians as part of the church, and in which Jesus walks beside us. The service includes promises about turning away from the things that harm us and towards the things of God that will give us life. The baptism itself involves having water poured over the new Christian's head, as a symbol of being washed clean by God. In some traditions a pool is used so that the person go be completely immersed in the water.

 

If you would like to talk some more about being baptised as an adult or young person, please come to a  service and see Adrian our Vicar.

 

 

Moving forward in discipleship - Confirmation

 

Confirmation marks the point in the Christian journey where those who have been baptised as children make a firm commitment to Christian discipleship. Usually these confirmation ‘candidates’ are prepared together for this important step by discussing the Christian faith and the life of discipleship with one of our staff team. In the Anglican tradition, recently baptised adults are also encouraged to be confirmed.

 

Confirmation services usually take place twice a year in the Leicester area. Through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop, the Church asks God to give those being confirmed the power, through the Holy Spirit, to live the life of discipleship.

 

For details of forthcoming confirmation services, and preparation through St Mary’s, please contact the Parish Office.

 

 

Committing to each other - Weddings

 

If you’re newly engaged, then many congratulations! We are very happy to welcome you to marry at St Mary’s. We want you to enjoy the planning and have a truly happy day, so we aim to ensure that the church arrangements are as straightforward as possible.

 

We offer every couple specific conversations with a minister to help you lay sound foundations for life-long commitment, and our team also help each couple to work through the details of your service.

 

In order to be married at St Mary’s one of you must live in the parish (or in the parish of St Guthlac’s, Knighton) or be able to establish a “qualifying connection” – we can check this with you.

 

It is important to give yourselves enough time to plan carefully for your wedding: you can find useful help for planning a personal and meaningful church wedding at the Your Church Wedding website, by following this link.

 

One important step is to have your forthcoming wedding announced at St Mary’s, and in your own parish church if either of you live elsewhere -this is called “reading the Banns”. Once your wedding date is fixed we will help you make sure the banns are read.

 

You will need to keep an eye on the cost of your wedding as well. The legal fees are fixed by the Government and can be found here:  www.yourchurchwedding.org

 

Details of fees for other elements of your service, such as an organist, bells and so on are available from the Parish Office.

 

To start a discussion about getting married at St Mary’s come along to any of our Sunday services and chat to the minister.

 

 

Saying a loving farewell - Funerals

 

A funeral, or a service of thanksgiving, is used to mark the end of a person’s life here on earth. Family and friends come together to express grief, give thanks for the life lived and commend the person into God’s keeping. This important time together can be a small, quiet ceremony or a large occasion in a packed church.

 

Ministers from St Mary’s can provide pastoral support to families at this difficult time, whether or not they, or the person who has died, attended church. Our team can discuss service details and can take funerals in the church or at local cemeteries and crematoria. The churchyard at St Mary’s is now closed but ashes can still be buried in the Garden of Remembrance, with a simple service of interment.

 

As a first step, ask your Funeral Director to contact us to enquire about possible dates and times for the service you’d like, and about pastoral support from our team.

 

For further information on planning a special funeral service, follow this link:

Planning a Funeral