Sacraments
Baptisms
As of September 2021, parents must attend an evening course before the baptism of their child. Courses will take place on the first Thursday of every month at 7pm in St Ann’s Parish Room, Vicarage Avenue, Cheadle Hulme. Please bring the completed St Chad Baptism form with you on that evening and only then will the date for the baptism be confirmed. To baptise a child brings a serious commitment before God to raise the child in the practice of the Catholic faith. If there is no hope that this will occur, then the baptism is to be deferred. Only the parents of the child can make that decision and commitment. The Catholic Church requires that both parents of the child be Catholic. An exception may be made if at least one of the parents is a practicing Catholic committed to forming the child in the faith and teaching of the Church.
Godparents must also be Roman Catholics since their role is to assist the parents in forming the child in the Catholic faith. There may only be one godmother and one godfather whose names will be entered in the baptismal register. Others may act as witnesses at the ceremony. Baptisms are normally done in the parish where the child resides. To be baptised outside the parish requires written permission from one’s parish priest. Please check St Chad’s Parish Boundary Map to verify that you live within our parish boundary.
At this time, baptisms generally take place on Saturday afternoons.
(Upcoming courses: September 2nd, October 7th, November 4th, December 2nd at 7pm in the parish room of St Ann’s Church, Cheadle Hulme. The meeting lasts about one hour.)
Weddings
To arrange a wedding please contact us
Sacrament of the Sick
The Sacrament of the Sick may be administered at any time to any Catholic who is seriously ill. In the words of the Second Vatican Council: The anointing of the sick is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as any one of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for that person to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived.
The Sacrament may be repeated at intervals during a prolonged illness, especially when the health of the sick person deteriorates. Remember, if you go into hospital it is your responsibility, or that of your family and friends, to make it known to the hospital staff that you wish to see a priest for Confession, Communion or the Sacrament of the Sick. Hospital staff will not call a priest unless specifically requested to do so.
If you are seriously ill at home, in an emergency, if Fr. Sean is not available, contact the priest in a neighbouring parish without delay.
Funerals
A Catholic funeral is a time of prayer, worship, and thanksgiving to God for the life of the deceased. The funeral director normally makes first contact with the parish to arrange the date and time of the funeral. Once this has been done, the family can then arrange to meet the priest in order to discuss the funeral arrangements. There are three options for the service:
1) Celebrating a funeral service at the crematorium, usually lasting about 30 minutes.
2) Celebrating a funeral service in the Church, usually lasting about 40-45 minutes, followed by the committal at the crematorium or cemetery. This would be the most suitable and inclusive option for funerals in which many members of the congregation are not practicing Catholics.
3) A requiem Mass in the Church followed by the committal at the crematorium or cemetery. This would be appropriate if most of the people in the congregation are practicing Catholics who attend Mass on Sunday. They would then be able to receive Holy Communion and participate fully in the responses of the Mass. A requiem Mass often lasts for up to one hour.
Music for the Funeral
Only Church music is permitted for any service which takes place in our Church. Non-religious music may be used in the crematorium or at the graveside, and is especially suitable for the gathering which often takes place after the funeral rites are concluded. The music which we use in the Church has to be in harmony with the prayers of the liturgy and with the atmosphere of recollection which we must always observe in this sacred space. It is advised to have the parish organist present for the service. With the consent of the family of the deceased, it is now possible to live-stream all of our funeral services.