Life Events
Many people mark milestones in life and faith with special services in Church. These are significant moments when we give thanks for all that is good, pray for God’s blessing, and gather with loved ones in times of joy and times of sorrow. On this page you will find information about how the Church can help you mark these special times.
Baptism (Christening)
and Confirmation
You can be baptised at any age – scroll down to find out more about baptism for your child, or for yourself.
Baptism of babies and children
Your child is precious to you and precious to God. You want the very best for them, and so does God. You want them to make right choices in life, for themselves and for others. A baptism (also called a christening) is just the beginning of this and so much more.
Over the years to come, it’s a journey you’ll share together with your child by:
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Being there for your child to talk to about the bigger questions of life – questions about hope, faith and love.
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Praying for your child through the ups and downs of their faith journey, and encouraging them to pray too.
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Showing them practically how to make those good choices in life.
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Helping them to learn more about their Christian faith, through their church and in other ways, and enabling them to experience a sense of belonging to the church.
Usually baptisms take place at the family’s parish church, or at another church where they regularly worship. At Great St Mary’s, we baptise during our Sunday 10am service, and we aim to offer several possible dates over the course of the year.
We are always happy to hear from families seeking baptism for their children who would like to make Great St Mary’s their regular church. We would love to welcome you into our church family, and to support you and your child to grow in faith. Please get in touch at clergy@gsm.cam.ac.uk if you would like to enquire about baptism for your child.
Baptism and confirmation for older children, teenagers and adults
Older children, teenagers and adults are usually baptised and confirmed at the same time, after a period of preparation. Being confirmed (if you are already baptised), or baptised and confirmed, is a powerful way to celebrate your faith in God publicly. And the preparation for this is a wonderful opportunity to spend time reflecting on what your faith means to you and learning more about what it means to be a Christian, alongside others who are on their own journey of faith. Older children and teenagers (in years 5 to 9) tend to prepare for baptism and confirmation through our Sunday evening youth group, while older teenagers and adults are able to prepare through specially convened groups meeting in the spring (and individual preparation is also possible, if circumstances mean this is the best thing for you).
Relationships
Weddings, marriage blessings, and Prayers of Love and Faith
‘God is love, and those who live in love, live in God, and God lives in them.’
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While is not legally possible for same sex couples to marry in the Church of England, we are delighted to hear from any couple who would like to come to church to celebrate your relationship, give thanks for the love you share, and pray for God’s blessing, following a civil marriage or civil partnership ceremony. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch to find out more.
For a marriage (of an opposite sex couple) to take place in Great St Mary’s the couple must have a qualifying connection with the Church. Please do contact us to check. Because our parish covers a very small area of the city centre, most of our wedding couples do not live within the parish boundary and qualify to marry here by becoming regular members of the congregation.
You can find out more about Church weddings through the Church of England weddings website (yourchurchwedding.org) and we will be very happy to answer any of your questions and talk through the process once you get in touch with us.
Funerals and memorial services
You do not have to be a regular churchgoer to have a funeral in Church. Funerals almost always take place in the person’s home church (the parish church for the place where they lived, or the church they attended or had a particular association with). At Great St Mary’s our geographical parish is a small area of the city centre with very few residents, so most of the funerals and memorial services that take place here are for people who were members of the congregation, or are larger memorial services that we are able to accommodate, often for members of the University, as part of our ministry as the University Church. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you are arranging a funeral or memorial service for someone for whom Great St Mary’s was a significant place.