Welcome!
Baptism or Christening? The same thing by different names! We tend to call it Baptism.
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In baptism, you as parents are thanking God for his gift of life, making a decision to start your child on the journey of faith and asking for the Church's support.For your child, baptism marks the start of a journey of faith, which involves turning away from all that is evil, turning towards Christ and becoming a member of the local and worldwide Christian family. Baptism is a 'sacrament' a visible sign of God's love. In baptism, we are thanking God for his gift of life and publicly acknowledging his love. We are acknowledging that we all need to turn away from selfishness and evil and to accept God’s offer of a new start. You can download a copy of the service we use below.
Normally, we only conduct Baptisms for people who live in the Parish of Wistaston (which includes Willaston). The reason for this is that we feel that ongoing Pastoral Care is best done through the Parish in which you live. Please note that when we say Parish we mean the Ecclesiastical Parish and not the Civic Parish as the borders differ. So before you enquire to book a Baptism please follow the steps below to work out the best course of action and contact for you. We will consider Baptisms requests from people who have a family or pastoral connection to the Parish of Wistaston - **please see below for examples of these. We require all parents to attend a Thinking About Baptism evening on the first Tuesday of the month - we encourage you can choose a date when you enquire - it can always be changed later. |
Scheduled Baptism Dates
We conduct Baptisms on the 4th & 5th Sundays of the month throughout the year. Please click on the button below to see fairly up to date availability - you can always double check via the office.
The button will open a new window.
The button will open a new window.
Please Note: Following an unprecedented run on Baptism Bookings recently we have only one slot left for 2019 on Sunday 24 November - please see the 2020 dates if you wish to book another date - we'd recommend booking early!!
To book a Baptism please follow these Steps
Step 1: Click the button [it will open in a new window] below to check which Parish you live in using your Post Code - it's worth doing this even if you think you live in the parish of Wistaston.
Step 1: Click the button [it will open in a new window] below to check which Parish you live in using your Post Code - it's worth doing this even if you think you live in the parish of Wistaston.
Step 2: If you live in the Parish of Wistaston then please click the Button below if not then please proceed to Step 3 below.
Step 3:
a) If you do not live in the Parish of Wistaston and don't have a family or pastoral connection to it then please contact your local Parish Church from Step1.
b) If you do not live in the Parish of Wistaston but do have a family or pastoral connection then please click the button below.
Please note that for those who book Baptisms from outside of the Parish we would require you to attend three services at St Mary's over a period of three months before your child's Baptism.
a) If you do not live in the Parish of Wistaston and don't have a family or pastoral connection to it then please contact your local Parish Church from Step1.
b) If you do not live in the Parish of Wistaston but do have a family or pastoral connection then please click the button below.
Please note that for those who book Baptisms from outside of the Parish we would require you to attend three services at St Mary's over a period of three months before your child's Baptism.
Baptism Resources
Below is a copy of the Service Order we use - this is useful to give to your child's Godparents before the day.
| Baptism Service Sheet.pdf |
A leaflet for Godparents - again useful to give to your child's Godparents on the lead up to the Baptism Day.
| Godparent Leaflet.pdf |
For further help and guidance for you, your child’s Godparents and your guests, please take a look at this website and share it with them: churchofenglandchristenings.org
**Examples of family or pastoral connections are: you grew up in Wistaston, your parents live here, your parents were married at St Mary's, you were Baptised, Confirmed or Married at St Mary's, you have a connection through a funeral or the churchyard. These are just a few examples to help you.