Sacraments of the Church
Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit and the door which gives access to the other Sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and return as children of God. We become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in the mission. Baptism is a Sacrament of regeneration through water and the Word.
If you wish for your child to be baptised here, then please fill out our online application form or contact the parish office at bristol.stbonaventure@cliftondiocese.com (our office is open term – times only).
The matrimonial covenant by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership for the whole of life is by its nature ordered towards the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring. The covenant between Baptised persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a Sacrament.
In many countries the situation may arise of a proposed marriage between a Catholic and a non-Catholic or a non-Christian. This is something that the couple can discuss with their local parish priest.
If you wish to book your wedding at St Bons please contact Mgr Bernard or phone him on 0117 942 4448 to arrange to come in for an initial meeting.
If you are resident in this area but planning to have your wedding elsewhere in the UK or perhaps overseas, then you should also arrange to meet with Mgr Bernard in order to discuss this and to begin the necessary paperwork. This should be done a long time before the proposed wedding date.
Confirmation
The Sacrament of Confirmation is conferred through the laying on of hands and the anointing with Chrism on the forehead together with the words “(Name), be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit”, the seal of the gift that is the Holy Spirit.
The consecration of the sacred Chrism is an important action that proceeds the celebration of Confirmation but is in a certain way part of it. It is the Bishop who, in the course of the Chrism Mass of Wednesday of Holy Week, consecrates the sacred Chrism for the whole diocese.
For adults who are baptised Catholics and who wish to receive the sacrament of Confirmation, please contact the parish priest directly.
For adults who are not baptised, you would be very welcome to join what we call our RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) group – for more details please contact Mgr Bernard or the parish office. This group is also very helpful for non-Catholic Christians who wish to enter the Catholic Church and become confirmed Catholics.
Sin is before all else an offence against God. A rupture of communion with him. At the same time it damages communion with the Church. For this reason conversion entails both God’s forgiveness and reconciliation with the Church, which are expressed and accomplished liturgically by the Sacrament of Confession also called Reconciliation.
Confessions are held in the church on Saturdays from. 10am-10.30am
During the seasons of Advent and Lent we often have Penitential Services during which several priests are present to hear Confessions: details are in the weekly Newsletter.
The Church believes and confesses that among the seven Sacraments there is one specially intended to strengthen those who are being tried by illness: the Anointing of the Sick. The Anointing of the Sick is not a sacrament only for those who are at the point of death. Hence as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for them to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived.
If a sick person who received this Anointing recovers their health they can in the case of another later illness receive this sacrament again. If during the same illness the person’s condition becomes more serious this sacrament may be repeated. It is also fitting to receive the Anointing of the Sick just prior to a serious operation. The same holds for the elderly whose frailty becomes more pronounced.
If you or a member of your family would like to receive the Sacrament of the Sick please contact Mgr Bernard or the parish office on 0117 942 4448
Losing a loved one can be devastating. Jesus himself experienced bereavement, we are told in John 11:35 that Jesus wept at the death of his friend Lazarus. The Church shares your sorrow for the death of your loved one, and at St Bonaventure’s we wish to do all we can to support you at what is a difficult time.
We are used to conducting Funeral Masses for the Repose of the Soul of loved ones. If you need to arrange a Funeral, please do not hesitate to give us a call on 0117 942 4448.