FAITH SHARING
It is vital that we hand on the Faith to our children and to our friends. Growth is necessary, and we live to evangelise. We have various tools to hand on the Faith and some are listed below. If you know of anyone who would like to know more about the Catholic Church, please let Fr Alex know. Individual preparation can be given to suit the enquirer's needs.


BAPTISM PREPARATION
The purpose of this programme is to prepare parents who present their children for Baptism to understand and accept their responsibilities, and the importance of their role in the development of the child’s faith.

The programme covers an explanation of the Rite of Baptism. explanation of the way the child will be prepared, a visit to the church to view the baptismal font, and a mini rehearsal of the service. A baptism video may also be shown.

You can help your child or Godchild in the development of their faith and understanding of the Christian life.

Baptism preparation is flexible and is arranged to suit the needs (in terms of level of knowledge) and the availability of individual parents. For details contact Sr. Thecla.

You also have the right to have your child baptised according to the Pre-Vatican II form. This is a legitimate option allowed by Pope Benedict XVI, as a result of his Motu Proprio 'Summorum Pontificum'. Please ask Fr Alex is you would like to know more.


BIBLE CLUB
The aim of the Bible Club is to bring the Bible alive to 7-10year olds, through drama, and games, and to promote friendship.

We meet on Mondays in the Parish Hall, from 6.45pm until 7.30pm. Please come and join us. For more information contact Bella Harding


CHILDREN'S LITURGY OF THE WORD(CLOW)
The aim of CLOW is to provide the children of the Parish with the Gospel presented at a level appropriate to their age group, and an opportunity to discuss what it means and how it is applicable to their own life.

There are three age groups, Pre-School, Infants and Juniors. The children are escorted from the church to the Parish Hall at the beginning of Mass, and are returned at the offertory. Each group hears the Gospel, or one of the readings from Mass at their own level. They talk about it and have an activity such as colouring a picture, which they take with them back to church and to their families.

You can help by volunteering to help with any of the groups on a rota basis, (Training will be given to ensure you comply with our child protection rules) or by helping with the administration tasks such as photocopying.

There are no regular meetings, but teams of Catechists form the rota sometimes meet to plan their sessions. For further details contact the parish office.


CONFIRMATION PREPARATION
We aim to fill the hearts of our young candidates with a zeal for the faith and a deep love of the Faith. This is a wonderful opportunity to hand on knowledge about the Church and her teachings, to give our youngsters a good spiritual grounding to help them as they advance through the challenges of secondary school and university. Their Faith will be subjected to many attacks, and the greater their knowledge, and the deeper their appreciation of the Sacraments, the stronger they will be.

Groups of candidates for confirmation meet weekly in term time. The groups are led by a team of catechists, including the Parish Priest and a family in the parish. A recognised course of study is followed, pitched at their age group. The course usually includes a weekend away on retreat.

You can help by volunteering to assist as a catechist for our next course. If you are interested in this for future years, please speak to Fr Alex. If you are unable to do this, then please pray for the young people, and for us.


FIRST CONFESSION PREPARATION
When we do not show the same love for others as God shows for us, we need to acknowledge our sins and bring them to Almighty God in confession, in order to restore our relationship with Him. Every time we come to Confession we encounter the love that flows from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and we experience His Divine Mercy and forgiveness. This is the message that we try to get across to our children who are preparing to make their first Confession.

Preparation for First Confession and First Communion can no longer be done in the School. The parish community therefore now has this responsibility. The `year 3` children come together once a week in the months before they receive these sacraments under the guidance of a team of catechists, in order to find out the true meaning of the sacraments.

You can help us if your child is due to make his or her first Confession and Communion, by volunteering to become a catechist. We ask everyone in the parish to pray for the children and for us.

We meet on Sunday mornings, at 10.30am. To find out more, contact Deacon Mike Belt

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION
Receiving Our Lord Jesus Christ, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity in Holy Communion, is indescribably powerful and moving. Every child should remember the day of his or her first reception of this life-changing gift, for the rest of their lives. As adults, we should strive to receive Jesus Christ in Holy Communion with the same devotion as a child on their first Holy Communion. In our preparation course, we explore the deeper realities behind the miracle of the Mass, and begin to open up the door to this mystery. Children have a great capacity for transcendence, and we do not patronise them but hope to open their eyes to something wonderful, and something they will need to learn more about as they grow older.

Preparation for First Confession and First Communion can no longer be done in the School. The parish community therefore now has this responsibility. The `year 3` children come together once a week in the months before they receive these sacraments, under the guidance of a team of catechists, in order to understand the true meaning of the sacraments.

You can help us if your child is due to make his or her first Confession and Communion, by volunteering to become a catechist. We ask everyone in the parish to pray for the children and for us.

We meet Sunday mornings, at 10.30 a.m . To find out more contact Deacon Mike Belt.

LECTIONARY BASED CATECHESIS
It is good to prepare for Holy Mass by praying through the Scriptural readings in the Lectionary. This helps our understanding and also helps to dispel distractions when we come to Mass. A group meets to share together the Sunday readings. There is a friendly atmosphere where questions are encouraged, and people’s views can be aired and discussed. It aims to assist in the ongoing formation of existing Catholics, teaching them more about their faith, and helping them to build a closer relationship with God.

The sessions include a live talk, with each of a team of different speakers contributing each term. After the talk, there is a break for refreshments, followed by an informal discussion over aspects of the talk.

You can help by attending a session (we all learn from each other, in addition to the talk)
or by joining the team.

Each session is at 7.30-9.00pm on Thursday evenings in the Parish Hall, all are welcome. For further details contact Deacon Mike Belt.

MARRIAGE PREPARATION
Marriage preparation is conducted by the Priest or Deacon performing the marriage ceremony, and is done to suit the particular needs of the couple being married. In addition,the celebrant may recommend a one-day course run by Marriage Care.

For further details talk to Fr Alexander or the Deacon conducting the ceremony.