Adult Baptism

Hurray! You want to be baptised! Please call Fr Jeremy (Fr James Finan after 30th Aug) on 01225 311725 to arrange an initial meeting and then a course of instruction. Alternatively, you can speak to him after any Mass or use the contact form below.

Child Baptism

Alleluia! You would like your child to receive the Sacrament of Baptism! Please call Fr Jeremy (Fr James Finan after 30th Aug) on 01225 311725 to arrange an initial meeting for both parents and then a course of instruction. Children are an amazing gift so it is preferable that the child is not present so that parents/carers can concentrate and be fully present in the preparation. Alternatively, you can speak to Fr Jeremy after any Mass to arrange a time to meet him or use the contact form below. Once you have spoken to Fr Jeremy, he will discuss booking a date for the baptism.

Replacement Baptism Certificate

If you need a Replacement Certificate, please ring or email the parish office. Please give the date of the baptism as well as your name/ the name of your child. There is no cost for the replacement certificate, however a donation to the church would be welcome. If you need a copy for school admittance, please ask in good time.

Confirmation programme and Mass Autumn 2026

The annual preparation course for the Sacrament of Confirmation is suitable for those in Year 9-13 and is open to anyone living in the parishes of Bath Deanery: St Mary's, Bath; St John's, Bath; St Alphege's, Bath; St Peter and St Paul's, Bath; St Joseph's, Peasedown St John, and all churches in the St Oliver Plunkett Pastoral Area.  If you are older than 18yrs old, please contact your parish priest directly for individual instruction. We would encourage all young people intending to join the course to attend Mass each Sunday. We also recommend reading and discussing the books YouCat and DoCat with their intended sponsor; both available through https://www.youcat.org/, Redemptorist Publications, Eden or Ebay.

Please complete the application form and return it to Charlotte Boyall at St Mary's Church, NOT your parish priest. Details on the form.

Confirmation form application 2026

Preparation for adults

Please call Fr Jeremy on 01225 311725 to arrange an initial meeting and then a course of instruction. Alternatively you can speak to him after any Mass or use the contact form below.

Children: First Holy Communion Preparation 2026

The preparation course will start in January 2026 with a session for parents only at the Parish Centre..  The course is aimed at children in Y3-6 using “I Belong” materials. We also recommend reading “YOUCAT for Kids: Catholic Catechism for Children and Parents” as a family www.youcat.org/y4k Two courses, running in parallel: one at St Mary’s Catholic Primary school for pupils, & one after 10.30am Sunday Mass for children at other schools. Details and application forms are available at the back of the church, on the website soon & from St Mary’s School from November 2025 

Known as The Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation, Confession is normally available 10.30-11.00am on Saturday and by request. Pupils at St Mary's, St Gregory's and Prior Park Schools all have the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation in school during Advent and Lent. All children preparing for Holy Communion will prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation as well.

If you are sick, have a chronic illness or mental health condition, please consider receiving the Anointing of the Sick by talking to Fr. Jeremy. It is a blessing to receive the anointing for recovery from sickness or for help in enduring the daily struggle.

Please understand that the Sacrament of the Sick is not the same as the Last Rites, nor should you worry that you are close to death if a friend or relative suggests that you receive the Sacrament of the Sick.

email: Fr. Jeremy

If you feel drawn to serve your diocese in the consecrated life, whether as a Monk, Nun or Priest, please talk to Fr. Jeremy first. His email is below. There is a Vocations page on the Clifton Diocese website which contains more information. Vocations page on Clifton Diocese Website

Father Colin Mason will be happy to answer any questions or to help explore a possible vocation to serve as a priest in the Clifton Diocese. Fr Colin Mason is Vocations Director for Clifton Diocese. He is Parish Priest of the Sacred Heart, Bristol and has a strong focus on promoting vocations within the diocese. He leads a Vocations team that encourages and supports vocations to the priesthood, the religious life, the consecrated lay life and single life, and to the Permanent Diaconate.  The vocation to the married life is encouraged and fostered separately within the Diocese. Phone: 0117 962 0676

email: Fr Jeremy

National Office for Vocation https://www.ukvocation.org/ 

Prayer for vocations https://cliftondiocese.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Prayer-for-Vocations.pdf 

We are pleased you are thinking of getting married in St. Mary's. Please use our guide to your special day and the life ahead of you:

2025 Getting married at St Mary's

For further details, email the Parish Office: Parish Office or use the contact form below.

Photo by Joab Smith Photography

Weddings at St Mary’s Catholic Church 2025

We are delighted that you wish to celebrate your wedding at St Mary’s Church. This leaflet describes what the church offers you for your wedding day and who to contact to make arrangements. The first person to contact is Mgr Jeremy Rigden (Fr Jeremy), our Parish Priest, to arrange a course of marriage preparation and a date for your wedding.

MARRIAGE PREPARATION Before your wedding day, the Priest who will conduct the ceremony will want to meet you: to get to know you; to explain the Church’s conditions for a marriage to be valid; to help you to prepare for the Sacrament of Marriage and your married lives together. He will want to hear about your ideas for the wedding ceremony and will be very pleased to help you to choose readings and to plan the course of the ceremony. He will also need to prepare all the necessary church registers and certificates before the day.

Priest: Mgr Jeremy Rigden (Fr Jeremy) jeremy.rigden@cliftondiocese.com 01225 311725

You may also need to contact St Mary's Parish Administrator during your preparations: Charlotte Boyall bath.stmary@cliftondiocese.com 01225 314114

FLOWERS IN THE CHURCH St Mary's Church is able to help guide you in your plans for your wedding flowers. We are very grateful if couples leave one pedestal arrangement so that we have flowers for Sunday Mass. If you plan to move all of the church arrangements to your reception, please let Fr Jeremy know as soon as possible. Pew ends need to be removed before the Sunday services.

Pulteney Bridge flowers https://www.pulteneybridgeflowers.co.uk/funeral-flowers-bath/

ST MARY’S PARISH CENTRE is available to hire for your wedding reception. It has three reception rooms including a large hall, a well-equipped kitchen, toilets, disabled access, two screens and parking. The parish centre contains the toilets so will be open during the ceremony for the convenience of guests. Costs vary between £7.00 - £35.00 per hour for hall hire and from  £10.00+ for kitchen usage. Viewing can be arranged.

Contact the Parish Administrator for details of fees, availability and conditions of use. Bath.stmary@cliftondiocese.com

RECOMMENDED CATERERS

The Canape Kitchen www.thecanapekitchen.co.uk 07764815016

RECOMMENDED MUSICIANS St Mary’s Church has a very maintained organ plus sound system of which you are welcome to make use, and there is provision for the use of smartphones as a source of music.

Organist: Tony Wilde 01225 311087 tony_wilde@hotmail.com Fee to be arranged with Tony or whichever organist you book.

FEES

All fees need to be paid one month before the wedding date.

Registrar’s fee £50: This needs to be paid to the registrar present at your wedding, so please give Fr Jeremy cash in an envelope, and he will pass on the payment.

Church fee £100: Payable by cash or cheque to St Mary’s Catholic Church Bath, or via our bank account.

Minister’s fee £100: This needs to be paid to the priest who conducts the ceremony. If he is Fr Jeremy, please pay by cash or cheque to J.Rigden)

Damages/mess deposit: £200 – Payable by cash or cheque to St Mary’s Catholic Church Bath, or via our bank account. Unfortunately, the church is often left in mess after the service. Please ensure all mass booklets, empty water bottles, tissues, pew ends etc are removed from the church at the end of the service. Any confetti that finds its way into the church needs to be swept up. Ink is difficult to remove from chairs and kneelers in the church so please help children to use crayons & paper instead.

REGISTER OFFICE Please contact the Register Office at the Guildhall, Bath to find out what you need to do about giving a period of notice of your intention to marry and to satisfy the legal formalities required of you before your marriage ceremony.

ST MARY’S CAR PARK The church car park is reserved for the use of your guests during the wedding and for an hour either side of it eg for a wedding at 1.00pm, the car park is reserved from noon – 3.00pm. Cars will need to be moved after that, unless you have booked the parish centre for your reception. There are also public car parks within easy walking distance (Victoria Park, Charlotte Street).

CONFETTI No objection is made to throwing confetti (preferably biodegradable) but please do not throw rice. Any confetti must be thrown outside of the church, ensuring that the front doors are first closed. Any confetti that finds its way into the church needs to be swept up.

ORDERS OF SERVICE Fr Jeremy will advise you on what this should include. We do not print order of service sheets. All service sheets and wedding decorations need to be removed from the church after the wedding.

Contact the Parish Administrator if you have any questions.

Charlotte Boyall bath.stmary@cliftondiocese.com 01225 314114

You Can Help Your Marriage – Do you feel alone? Are you frustrated or angry with each other? Do you argue … or have you just stopped talking to each other? Does talking about it only make it worse? Retrouvaille (pronounced retro-vi with a long i) helps couples through difficult times in their marriages. There is no group therapy or group work.

This programme has helped 10s of 1000s of couples experiencing difficulties in their marriage. For confidential information about Retrouvaille’, or to register for the next programme commencing with a residential weekend Call or text 0788 7296983 or 0797 3380443 or Email retrouvailleukinfo@gmail.com – or visit www.retrouvaille.org.uk

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Stress in Your Marriage? – Retrouvaille is a program for married couples that feel bored, disillusioned, frustrated, or angry in their marriage. Some experience coldness. Others experience conflict in their relationship. Most don’t know how to change the situation or even communicate with their spouse about it.

This programme has helped 6,000 couples who were experiencing difficulties in their marriage in the past year. There is no group therapy or group work

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Rediscover Your Marriage – Retrouvaille (pronounced retro-vi with a long i) simply means 'rediscovery'. The programme offers the chance to rediscover yourself, your spouse, and a loving relationship in your marriage. 10s of 1000s headed for divorce have successfully saved their marriages by attending and using the tools provided. There is no group therapy or group work

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Married Singles Lifestyle –The Married Singles Lifestyle describes couples that may have lost a sense of closeness they once had as marriage partners and are living more like roommates. Retrouvaille (pronounced retro-vi with a long i) teaches couples how to survive times like these in their marriages. This programme has helped 10s of 1000s of couples experiencing difficulty at all levels of marital distress from disillusionment to deep misery. There is no group therapy or group work

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Thinking about Separation or Divorce? – Is your marriage or that of a relative or friend heading for divorce? Do you know how to save that marriage? Or do you feel helpless? Retrouvaille (pronounced retro-vi with a long i) is designed to help troubled marriages regain their health. It helps spouses uncover or re-awaken the love, trust and commitment that originally brought them together. The programme is highly successful in saving hurting marriages, even bringing reconciliation to couples that have already separated or divorced. There is no group therapy or group work.