Parish Baptism Preparation Course: Follow-on Resources

Congratulations on completing the baptism preparation course!

On a practical level, you should now get in touch with Debbie at the parish office to make a firm booking for your child(ren)’s baptism(s).

The baptism of your son or daughter is a very special moment in their lives, as we have discussed. It is also an opportunity for us, as adults, to reflect upon and renew our own commitment to our faith. A natural part of this is to look for resources that will help us grow in faith, as a family.

In this page, we want to provide you with just a few ideas and resources that will do just that.

Some of them are resources that can help you engage with your child, as you begin this journey with your little one in their life of faith and as a member of God’s family.

Some of the resources are for you, to strength and encourage you in your spiritual lives, both as adults and as parents. It may be that your own faith has been dormant for a while or your may be a non-Catholic spouse and keen to develop your understanding of the Catholic Faith. It may be that you are just in need of a spiritual boost!

Whatever your personal situation, we do hope you find something here that is helpful to you and your family…

Here are some good books that you might find interesting:

Passing on our Faith by Jenny Pate

The Oak Inside the Acorn by Max Lucado

A Missal for Toddlers by Elen Lescoat

Father Ben gets ready for Mass by Katie Warner

My Very First Bible by Lois Rock

My Superhero Prayer Book by Kendra Tierney

Here are some articles that will support you in your parenting:

Teaching our children gratitude at home – Focus on the Family

Blessing your children – Focus on the Family

Teaching your child to pray Growing Up Catholic

Praying with Children CathFamily

And a Facebook page for a lovely UK-based Catholic online community called Colour and Shape. Though their work is currently on hold, you’ll find an archive of lots of lovely resources, especially for young children:

Colour and Shape facebook page colourandshapeonline

Prayer Corner – you might consider creating a prayer corner for your child. It can be as simple as an upturned box with a cloth over it. You can also add a crucifix, candle, statue of Mary or another saint, prayer cards or another prayer focus, such as a leaf (to thank God for nature) or a family photo (to ask God to bless your family). Reading a simple morning or evening prayer could be a good way to start using it.

Here’s a few good web pages with ideas for family prayers:

Basic Family Prayers

9 quick tips for teaching kids to pray

The five finger prayer

Holy Father, teach us to pray!

Tips for successful family prayer

How to Catholic – Prayer Table

 

The Bible is a wonderful book to get to know!

Here are a few quotes that you might like to use in your prayer time.

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you through and through. I chose you to be mine” (Jeremiah 1: 5)

 

“Don’t let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 4: 26)

 

“Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them. For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14)

 

“Unless a grain of wheat shall fall upon the ground and die; it remains just a single grain with no life” (John 12: 24)

 

“For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3: 27)

 

“I have come that you may have life and have it to the full”                        (John 10: 10)

 

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13: 13)

 

“Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43: 1)

 

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name” (Psalm 100: 4)

Children love music! These praise songs can be perfect for dancing around the living room to and provide a great starting point to praying with children…

• Coffee & Tea after Mass – In the parish centre main hall after both the 9am and 11am Masses. A great chance to get to know other families!
• Majellans – A Parent and Baby/Toddler group, meeting Mondays 9.30-11.30 am in the parish centre. £1.50 per family – A chance to meet with other parents whilst babies and children play. Suitable for newborn – 4 years old. No need to sign up – just come and try! Email Sophie at: bstortfordcatechist@rcdow.org.uk or ask to join the Majellans Facebook group
• RCIA (Journey in Faith) in the parish – a chance to learn a bit more about the Catholic faith if you are lapsed and interested to find out more or if you are not Catholic and wish to be received into the Catholic Church. More details are on the RCIA page of our website.
• Dad’s Group – Takes place on the last Tuesday of every month in the parish centre at 8:00 pm – includes prayer and discussion and some fellowship in the pub afterwards. Details can be found in our Dad’s Group page
•  Women’s Group – “Heart of Faith” is a women’s group that currently meets twice a month on  the first and third Tuesdays. Together we chat, catch up, reading the Gospel and share and pray together. Relaxed and informal.

OTHER RESOURCES:

• Loving4Life marriage seminar  – This is an excellent marriage enrichment seminar, which is for all couples, so it’s not for couples having “problems” – it’s aim is to refresh your relationship and help you work on issues we all face as couples! Takes place about three times a year in various UK venues. Do check out the Loving4Life website for details.
• Parenting courses – The Parenting Children Course (an initiative of Holy Trinity Brompton (London)
• CaFE Resources – CaFE (Catholic Faith Exploration) provides a variety of resources to help you discover more about your faith.
• Children and Families Portal – We have just launched a new portal with lots of resources for children and parents . The Children and Families Portal includes a parents page and a page to enrich you in your faith as an adult.