Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage, Funeral Services at All Saints Hérault
Your child is precious to you and precious to God. Everyone is welcome to have their children christened in their parish church, or Church of England place of worship if outside the United Kingdom. During the Christening service your baby will be baptised. In normal times around 10,000 babies and children are baptised in the Church of England every month. The Church of England also welcomes adults who want to be baptised.
In this service parents thank God for his gift of life and make a decision to start their child on a journey of faith and the godparents promise their help and support. The church also promises to welcome the child and to pray for the family.For your child, being baptised marks the start of a lifelong journey of faith as part of the local and worldwide Christian family.
The church of England website has various resources to help parents and Godparents prepare for the Baptism service. Click Christenings to be taken to the appropriate page on the Church of England website.
Our contact details are here.
There is no fee for baptisms.
Thanksgiving
Some parents might want to celebrate the gift of a child in a different way without the commitment that baptism involves. During the Thanksgiving service parents and families give thanks for the birth or adoption of a child and everyone prays for family life. It can take place in church with the congregation, or with just family and friends gathered, or elsewhere such as home, or even in hospital.
A Thanksgiving service is not a Baptism. There are no promises to make about the Christian faith. The child will be blessed and prayed for, and supporting friends will promise to support the parents in bringing up their baby.
Our contact details are here.
Confirmation marks the point in the Christian journey at which you affirm for yourself the faith into which you have been baptised and your intention to live a life of committed discipleship.
If you would like to become a full member of the Church of England we can help by providing baptism and confirmation classes. More information is available on the Church of England website, click here.
Children who are not confirmed may receive Holy Communion at All Saints Hérault after a course of preparation.
Our contact details are here.
Today more than a quarter of all marriages in England between a man and a woman take place in the traditional setting of a Church of England church. You're welcome to marry in church whatever your beliefs, whether or not you are baptised and whether or not you go to church.
The situation in the Diocese in Europe is different from that in England, because in England the Church of England minister has a legal role, acting for the state as well as the Church. In France the legal side of the marriage is entirely in the hands of the state and marriages take place at a Mairie. Couples must have had a civil marriage before the church ceremony. We do, however, still use the normal Marriage Service, missing out the first two paragraphs under “The Declarations”, about whether the couple may lawfully marry. The text for the service can be read by clicking here:
Having taken advice from the Diocese, we are pleased to offer a marriage service, provided certain conditions are met, as follows.
(a) Arrangements for a marriage must be made between the officiating minister and the couple concerned, and never through a commercial third party.
(b) There has to be what is called a "qualifying connection", either a residential connection in the Hérault (the couple, parents or grandparents) or a connection with our church at Saint-Pargoire. The actual rules are fairly complicated, but we can give you more information if you need it.
(c) At least one of the couple must be baptised (in England this requirement no longer has to be met).
(d) When one or both of the couple has a former spouse still living there are more formalities to go through. These are not intrusive, but may bring back painful memories.
(e) Except in special circumstances, such as the serious illness or incapacity of one of the parties, for which the Bishop's Licence is required, the service may only take place in the chaplaincy's usual place of worship at the Temple, Saint-Pargoire, or in another consecrated church (eg a Roman Catholic village church).
Fee: 300€ at St Pargoire including expenses, 300€ plus expenses at another venue.
Our contact details are here.
A funeral marks the close of a human life on earth. It is the opportunity for friends and family to express their grief, to give thanks for the life which has now completed its journey in this world and to commend the person into God's keeping.
The Church of England Website has information on planning a funeral including a selection of comforting psalms and prayers. Clicking on the link will take you to their webpages.
Please bear in mind that burials outside the UK must conform to local French laws and regulations, which may be different from those applicable to the United Kingdom.
The normal fee for funerals is 250€, including all expenses. The chaplain has discretion to adjust these fees according to thecircumstances of the family.
Our contact details are here.