Baptisms

Having your baby baptised requires you to make promises on their behalf.

Perhaps you have clear reasons you want yourself or your baby to be baptised. Perhaps you just have a vague sense of it being ‘the right thing to do.’ Having your baby baptised requires you to make promises on their behalf. It is something that requires thought and commitment.

Please give some consideration to the information below, and contact the parish clergy who will be happy to discuss any questions you have.

What is baptism?

Baptism (or Christening) is a sign of God’s love for us. It is a ceremony where water is poured over the head of the candidate, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Baptism is the means by which God gives us many gifts:
  • Becoming a child of God: In baptism we are brought into a relationship with God, in which we can call him Father, as Jesus taught us to do.
  • Belonging to the Church: In baptism we become members of a worldwide family, God’s family. We also believe that this family includes those who have died. This family seeks to support each other in fellowship and prayer.
  • An act of cleansing: In baptism God is giving us a new beginning. Water is a sign of cleansing from ‘original sin’: the sin that affects all humans from birth.
  • Sharing in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ: Faith in Jesus expressed in baptism is the basis on which we hope to go to heaven when we die. Through sharing in the death and resurrection of Jesus we believe that nothing, not even death, can separate us from God’s love.

We believe that God gives all these gifts in baptism, but for them to be fully realised the candidate will need to be taught the faith, attend Church regularly, and develop a life of prayer.

Why have your baby baptised?

All parents want to give their child the best start in life. They know they are laying foundations for the future, and naturally want what is good for them.

By having your baby baptised you are giving them the best possible gift: a beginning in the life of faith in Jesus Christ, and membership of God’s family, the Church.

For children it is the responsibility of the parents and Godparents to encourage this growth in Christian faith. The Church will also seek to support you in this journey.

In due course we hope that your child will be confirmed, when they will reaffirm the promises you have made for them at baptism, and become adult believes.

Making Promises

At baptism you and your Godparents will make promises on behalf of your baby. These include:
  • Turning to Christ
  • Repenting of sins
  • Renouncing evil

It is important that you and your Godparents can make these promises truthfully and with integrity before Almighty God.

Both you and the Godparents need to have been baptised and preferably confirmed as well. If you are not baptised it is possible for your to be baptised with your child. If you are not confirmed perhaps you would like to consider it as the next step in your Christian journey of faith.

Baptism is permanent and irrevocable, a once in a lifetime event. St Augustine compared it with a soldier’s tattoo showing who was his lord. Consequently baptism cannot be repeated. Baptism in the Church in Wales is recognised by all the mainstream Christian denominations.

Baptism at All Saints'

Baptism may take place at the 11 a.m. Parish Eucharist on Sunday morning. Alternatively, for a good reason, it may be possible for the baptism to take place at a different time – usually 12:30 p.m. on a Sunday. If the baptism takes place outside of the Parish Eucharist we hope you will come on the next Sunday so that you or your baby may be welcomed by the whole worshipping community.

To arrange a baptism or discuss any questions you may have, please contact Fr Tudor, who will be happy to help you.