Baptisms in the West Norfolk Priory Group
Christenings and Baptisms are the same thing, and we love doing them as well as Thanksgiving Services for the Gift of a Child. You and your family and friends will be very welcome in the churches of the West Norfolk Priory Group.
If you live in one of the parishes or regularly attend one of our churches and would like your child (or yourself) to be baptised or to have a Service of Thanksgiving, then please contact our Church Office (* details at the foot of this page). The Church Administrator will take your details and give you the services when you will be able to see the priest after a Sunday service. Please do go to the service and make yourself known to the priest after the service.
The priest will then arrange to meet you for an initial briefing session and send you a video on Baptisms and Thanksgiving Services to watch. After this initial session, the priest will put you in touch with one of our Lay Ministers who will prepare you and your family for the Baptism or Thanksgiving Service.
Please note that the preparation course will take between two to three months to complete and meetings are held over Zoom. The Lay Minister will meet with you having given you time to watch the video so you will understand what is required of you and your godparents. If you are seeking baptism, please make sure you have all the details required for your godparents. Also, if the parents of a child to be baptised are not already regular worshippers, in order to aid their understanding of the Christian Faith and of Christian Baptism, they will be asked to attend a Holy Communion service in church at least once a month for three months.
Dates for baptism will be confirmed once these have been completed.
At the meeting, which will be on Zoom, the Lay Minister will go through the practicalities and explore both Thanksgiving and Baptism services, the differences between the two and what it means for you and your child. You will also be sent a copy of the service which the Lay Minister will go through with you. Please note that English Law requires that
ALL godparents must be baptised AND confirmed to be able to accept this very responsible position. If this legal requirement cannot be met, you can still have a Service of Thanksgiving where your child will be blessed and you and your family prayed for.
The Church of England advises godparents should be 'persons who will faithfully fulfil their responsibilities both by their care for the children committed to their charge and by the example of their own godly living'. This suggests that godparents need to be of an age to understand and fulfil their commitments, and the expectation that godparents are confirmed also suggests that a godparent should not be a young child.
The Baptism Course is important preparation for all, and godparents will be expected to attend at least one session with the Lay Minister. Also, in order to gain the full benefit of the preparation, we ask that families with young children make themselves available for the course so that they are not distracted by parenting duties.
After completing the Baptism Course, the vicar will want to meet with you again to ensure that you are ready for the promises that you are about to make and you will attend a rehearsal before the big day.
We baptise and have Blessing and Thanksgiving during our main Sunday Holy Communions service so that the congregation can welcome the child/person into the family of the church. Very occasionally there might be a good medical reason for an emergency baptism.
Thanksgivings and Baptisms should ideally take place in the local church of the person being baptised, but we are also happy to receive people who do not live in the village but who have strong local or family connections to churches in WNPG. We also have 12 churches in our Benefice, so if your local church is small and your guest list is large, we may be able to offer you one of our larger churches
There is no charge for baptisms or a Services of Thanksgiving but there is a modest charge for certificates. You can also donate to the church if you like and any donations, large or small, are greatly appreciated.
Timeline and Checklist
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Contact the Church Office (* details at the foot of this page).
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Come to a Sunday service and introduce yourself to the priest.
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You will be invited to meet the priest for an Initial briefing.
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Watch the video and continue meeting the Lay Minister as part of your preparation. These are held over Zoom. Godparents will have to be qualified and attend at least one session of the preparation course. Baptism date will be confirmed once you are ready from the preparation.
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If you are not already regular worshippers, in order to aid your understanding of the Christian Faith and of Christian Baptism, you will be asked to attend a Holy Communion service in church at least once a month for three months.
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Once the preparation has been completed satisfactorily, you will have further meetings with the priest and a rehearsal.
Baptism Dates 2025
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5th October – Marham
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2nd November – Runcton Holme
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23rd November (Christ the King) – Stow Bardolph and Wimbotsham
Baptism Dates for 2026
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February/March – Lent; no Baptisms
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5th April – Easter; 11am, Marham
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17th May – Ascension; 11am, Shouldham
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24th May – Pentecost; 9.30am, Fincham
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14th June – Watlington, 11am
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26th July – Stow Bardolph and Wimbotsham, 11am
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September – To be Confirmed
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October – To be Confirmed
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November – Remembrance; no Baptisms
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December – Advent; no Baptisms
Contact Details
If you are interested in arranging a baptism and wish to talk to someone about it,
please contact our church office.