For Catholics, the Sacrament of Baptism is the first step in a lifelong journey of commitment and discipleship. Baptism is the first sacrament of Christian initiation, and it transforms us. Through Baptism we are freed from sin, we become adopted children of God and are embraced into the family of the Church.

Want to receive the Sacrament of Baptism at St Alban’s Macclesfield?

For Children and young people

After the birth of your child or if you would like to have your older children baptised, please contact the Fr Peter or Fr Paschal through the Parish Office 01625 423446 to arrange a date for the ceremony.

You will then be contacted by the baptism preparation team who will work with you on both the spiritual and practical preparation for your child’s baptism.

The two baptism preparation classes last around 45 minutes each and involve viewing and reflecting on a series of short videos.

Once you have completed the classes, the team who will help you on the day of the baptism will be in contact and will guide you through the logistics of the day.

For adults

If you would like to be baptised as an adult you will need to participate in instruction through a course called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). At St Alban’s the RCIA course runs from October until Easter the following year and will walk humbly with you from whichever point you are on your own spiritual journey. Adult baptisms take place during the ceremony of the Easter Vigil which is a celebration for the whole Parish family.

For more information visit the RCIA page

The Rite of Baptism

‘Baptism is the Sacrament of regeneration through water in the Word.’’ Catechism of the Catholic Church, (Canonical ref 1213)

The Rite of Baptism involves immersing the candidate in water or pouring it over their head, while invoking the Name of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Canonical ref 1278). If you are not Catholic but have received Baptism as described above, we recognise this as in our creed we believe in ‘one baptism for the forgiveness of sins’. So, you will not be baptised again if you choose to join the Catholic Church. Rather, you will be initiated into full communion with us through the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist.

The origin and foundation of Christian Baptism is Jesus.

Before starting his public ministry, Jesus submitted himself to the baptism given by John the Baptist. The waters did not purify him; he cleansed the waters. Jesus did not need to be baptised because he was totally faithful to the will of his Father and free from sin. However, he wanted to show his solidarity with human beings in order to reconcile them to the Father. By commanding his disciples to baptise all nations, he established the means by which people would die to sin – Original and actual – and begin to live a new life with God.

Although we Catholics believe that every human being is made in the image and likeness of God, it is through baptism we are brought into that most mysterious communion with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is a programme for non-baptised adults who want to become full members of the Catholic Church.

We also include in our programme baptised Christians who are not in full communion with the Catholic Church and baptised Catholics who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation.

The programme is open to anyone, of any denomination or none, whether or not they are baptised Christians who want to explore what it means to be a Catholic.

What the programme involves
A team of volunteers from St Alban’s Parish form the team which runs a series of weekly sessions beginning in September each year, running until after Easter.

The ‘Enquiry Period’ runs from September to Christmas helping enquirers to develop and strengthen a relationship with God; to understand what is important to all Christians and find out more about what Catholics specifically believe.

Enquirers are then invited to commit to whether they want to continue to the next stage.

Preparation for Baptism and/or Confirmation
From January to Easter the programme considers the Mass, Sacraments and Prayer in greater detail including Scripture reflections.

Anyone wishing to go forward is prepared for formal acknowledgement within the Parish and the Diocese including a Day of Prayer with Bishop Mark Davies and The Rite of Election at Shrewsbury Cathedral.

Meetings are held on Tuesday evenings from 7.30pm to 9pm from late September, until Pentecost in May (contact Denise for venue). We start with a ‘Come and See’ visit to the church led by Fr Peter. It is very informal and anyone in the Parish, or anyone else, are welcome to attend.

If you are feeling unsure about whether the programme is right for you, feel free to contact Fr. Peter Burke at St Alban’s (01625 423 446) or Denise Volpato (07891 075775) as well as chatting to Catholic friends and relations and praying about your decision.

In this Diocese the Sacrament of Confirmation is offered to young people in the second year of Secondary Education. Preparation for the reception of this Sacrament is parish based and the programme runs from January to June. A team of Catechists help the candidates, as well as their parents to prepare for this important stage in their Christian life.

All parents of children preparing for First Forgiveness and Communion are asked to attend five evening meetings, spread out over the preparation time. Children are prepared at St. Alban’s School for reception of the Sacraments. Preparation sessions are offered to children attending other schools.