How Can I?

Baptism

Under normal circumstances we hold a monthly meeting at St Joseph’s for those who would like to have their child baptised.

At this meeting some members of our community explain what baptism means for us and its importance in a Christian’s life. You will be asked:

If you are resident in St Joseph’s Parish, Reddish.
If at least one of the child’s parents is a Catholic.
If at least one of the Godparents you have chosen is a practising Catholic.
How you intend to encourage and support the life of faith in your child.

Once these details are settled we can begin to talk about a date for the celebration of the sacrament. Baptisms normally take place on Sunday after the 11am Mass. We try, wherever possible to have no more than two families celebrating baptism on any one Sunday.

Just at the moment because of the current pandemic, normal family celebrations of baptism have been suspended. It is hoped to resume them when the public health conditions allow for it. What is permissible at the moment are very small gatherings for child baptism. These are limited to parents, grandparents and Godparents.

If prior to the pandemic you had already made arrangements for a baptism we will try to contact you in regards to a new date as soon as things allow. Alternatively, if you would like to either make initial enquiries about a future celebration or rearrange please contact geraldine@stjosephreddish.org.uk

Please continue to check this site for news of when baptism meetings will resume.

As pandemic restrictions are relaxed, we are looking forward to welcoming you to St Joseph’s for the Baptism of your child. We know some of you have been waiting for a long time and we appreciate your patience.

Covid-19 has made us all consider what’s essential in life. Going forward, our parish community needs to think about how we can best live out our mission of spreading the Gospel and responding to the needs of believers in this area.

St Joseph’s is a large parish that runs with the dedicated help of a small number of volunteers. We don’t have administrative staff and contacting us for Baptism is not like booking a venue or arranging a one-off event. We do not arrange baptisms on the telephone or by email.

If you live in our parish and want to take part in our community life of faith, we will be happy to baptise your children and to welcome them into our parish family. Attending Sunday Mass is the first step in arranging your child’s Baptism. [Presently, it’s our Diocese’s policy for people to attend Sunday worship for at least six weeks before their child is baptised].

When you are familiar with our parish life, you’ll be able to make contact with one of the volunteers who arrange Baptism ceremonies at St Joseph’s. Geraldine, Maureen and Ray all attend St Joseph’s weekly and when restrictions allow, they’ll be happy to make contact with you and to discuss the process of arranging a Baptism.

The Government roadmap for re-opening suggests that by June 21^st 2021 all limits on social contact will be lifted. This will mean that on Thursday July 8^th at 7.30pm – the second Thursday of the month is the usual day for our Baptism Meeting – we will be able to host a meeting in the Church for those who have been attending St Joseph’s and would like to have their child Baptised. Apart from those families who are already regularly worship at St Joseph’s, we will not be arranging Baptisms before this date.

So, if you live within our parish, are a baptised Catholic yourself and would like to have your child baptised then come along to Sunday Mass, make contact and ready yourself for our July meeting.

If you are already an active member of St Joseph’s Parish and are willing to have your child baptised under the current restrictions (presently a limitation of 6 adults), then please contact Fr Philip (frphilip@stjosephreddish.org.uk) or Geraldine (geraldine@stjosephreddish.org.uk).

Marriage

If you would like to get married at St Joseph’s please speak to Fr Philip after one of the Sunday Masses.

Generally speaking, in order to be married here you need to be resident in St Joseph’s parish. Six months before your chosen date it is necessary to begin collating paperwork and making preparations.

Funerals

When a parishioner dies, we do all we can to accommodate families in their time of loss. Usually, your funeral director will liaise with the parish to arrange a convenient time and date.

Just at the moment and because of the pandemic funerals are still restricted. If you would like your family member to have a service at the graveside or the crematorium chapel we will do everything we can to accommodate this. At this time, services in church and Requiem Masses are restricted and need to be arranged with Fr Philip.

Anointing of the Sick

Visiting the sick members of our community is an integral part of Fr Philip’s work. Under normal circumstances the sick and housebound members of St Joseph’s are visited regularly and receive Holy Communion at home. At this time, home visits are not possible in order to limit the spread of the virus.