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Diocese

BAPTISM

Like most Anglican parish churches, the Cathedral Chapter’s policy is willingly to baptise people who live in the parish or those who are regular worshipping members of the Cathedral congregation.

In the Church of England, Baptism is now understood as the first step on a lifelong journey of Christian faith. It looks forward to the development of a person’s relationship with God through membership of the Christian Church. It requires of those being baptised, or of the parents and godparents of infants and children, a commitment to regular worship, a willingness to learn more about prayer and Christian faith, and to Christian living.

Baptism has sometimes been thought of as a spiritual insurance policy or an inoculation against going to hell, and was often sought out of fear and superstition. It is now thought of as the welcoming of a new Christian into the fellowship of the Church and into a relationship with a loving God.

That welcome therefore makes most practical sense in the church where the child and family are (or are going to be) regular worshippers, and where participation and involvement will most naturally grow. That is normally in their home parish or a church nearby. You can find out which parish you live in by using the Postcode Search here

Children of 8 and older who have been baptised and are regular worshippers may be admitted to Communion before Confirmation, which normally takes place around the age of fifteen. Adults who have not previously been baptised will be prepared for Baptism and Confirmation.

The Church of England also offers a Service of Thanksgiving for the birth of a child. This simple service recognises the wonder of a new birth, includes prayers and readings and asks God’s blessing on the child and its family. This service does not require the same commitments as Baptism, and leaves open the possibility of Baptism at a later stage.

There is more about Baptism and Thanksgiving on www.cofe.anglican.org/lifeevents

To enquire further about Baptism or Confirmation at the Cathedral , contact the Canon Pastor, bruce.saunders@southwark.anglican.org 0207 367 6706

MARRIAGE

The Cathedral, like any Anglican parish church, has to observe certain legal rules when it comes to marriages.

We can marry people who live in the Cathedral parish. You can find out if you live in the Cathedral parish by using the Postcode Search here

And we can marry people whose names are on the Cathedral Electoral Roll by virtue of having worshipped here regularly for at least six months. (The Electoral Roll option is not intended to be a way of getting you to come to church, nor a way for you to get round the rules. It is hoped that by worshipping here regularly, you would become part of the community for the long term, in which case it would make perfect sense to be married in what would by then have become ‘your’ church. If you decide to use the Electoral Roll option, we do not start discussing wedding dates until the six month period is complete.) 

The only other option is an Archbishop’s Special Licence. This is a more rarely used route for people who have a strong personal association with the Cathedral, but who for some good reason cannot fulfil the other criteria.  In our case, that would mean, for example, someone who might have been a member of one of the Cathedral choirs as a youngster, or someone who worshipped here regularly as a pupil at the Cathedral Primary School.

Marriage preparation is offered to people being married at the Cathedral, but we are unable to offer preparation to people being married elsewhere.

If one or other of you has been married before, your situation will be considered in a personal interview against the guidelines provided by the General Synod of the Church of England. 

Even if you do not qualify to be married in the Cathedral, you are of course entitled by residence to be married in your local parish church. To identify your local parish church, you can use the Postcode Search on www.southwark.anglican.org/parishes/index.htm

There is more about Marriage in the Church of England on www.cofe.anglican.org/lifeevents

To enquire further about Marriage at the Cathedral , contact the Canon Pastor, bruce.saunders@southwark.anglican.org 0207 367 6706

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