Parish

The occasion of a child's First Holy Communion is a wonderful opportunity for parents to deepen and reinvigorate their own faith. It can also be a graced moment of renewal for the broader parish community.

Special Ministers of Holy Communion, previously called ‘Eucharistic ministers’, assist the priest at the Sunday liturgies - if there are not already sufficient priests and deacons present - by helping him to give the Body and Blood of the Lord to the gathered assembly.

They may also be asked to express the parish’s care and concern for the sick by bringing Holy Communion to them in their homes or in hospitals and nursing homes.

Ministers of the Word offer their time and their talents that the scriptures may be proclaimed with clarity and with faith at the Eucharist and at other liturgies.

A Parish Baptism Team is a group of trained volunteers in the parish who serve to welcome and support families who have asked for the gift of baptism for their children. Some may also be involved in supporting adults who are preparing to be baptised themselves.

They are a sign that baptism is never just a private family occasion but that the whole parish and the universal Church also share in the rejoicing and responsibilities of having a new disciple.