Our Services
We offer a wide range of services at our church of which you can find all of the details below
Baptisms and Christenings
Through Baptisms or Christenings, people enter the Christian faith and begin a new life with God. During the service those to be baptised are brought to the font where the blessed water is poured three times over the person’s head in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
It is through the waters of the font that all Christians share in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection and receiving the promise of eternal life. The baptism service is full of symbols emphasising this new life with the use of oil and a lighted candle in addition to the water. At St Thomas’ baptism is normally celebrated on a Sunday morning as part of the 10.00 Sung Mass although other times are available.
It is through the waters of the font that all Christians share in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection and receiving the promise of eternal life. The baptism service is full of symbols emphasising this new life with the use of oil and a lighted candle in addition to the water. At St Thomas’ baptism is normally celebrated on a Sunday morning as part of the 10.00 Sung Mass although other times are available.
While many people are baptised as babies, there is no upper age limit as to when we can receive this important sacrament, although for adults it is good to consider receiving the sacrament of Confirmation at the same time so that they can go on to receive Holy Communion.
Godparents need to be chosen with care as they are called upon to make serious promises and declarations on behalf of the child being baptised. They must be baptised members of a Christian church. Not every family finds it easy to find enough people to be godparents so please do discuss your situation with the Vicar or a member of the baptism team.
To request more details, please contact the administration office on 01277 201094
or email brentwood.st.thomas.martyr@gmail.com
Confirmation
The sacrament of Confirmation completes the work of God’s Spirit that began at our baptism. During this special service the Bishop asks each candidate to ‘confirm’ with their own heart and lips the promises made by their parents and godparents when they were baptised. Each candidate then receives the laying on of hands and is anointed with the Oil of Chrism.
The Bishop of Richborough comes twice a year to confirm and each service is preceded by a short course of preparation run by the Vicar or the LLM. Details of these course are included in the weekly bulletin but if you are interested in finding out more then please email the Parish Administrator.
It is customary for a confirmation course to be offered at our Church Junior School. This is offered to children in Year 5 and runs after school for an hour. Details of how to be part of this course are circulated via the school newsletter and many children choose to be confirmed and go on to play a significant role in the worshipping life of the school and the Parish Church.
Funerals
It is the right of everyone who lives within the Parish of St Thomas to have their funeral service taken in the Parish Church and conducted by one of the clergy team of St Thomas’ and we work closely with the local undertakers to facilitate the many different requests we receive.
Having a Christian funeral ensures that each service has an element of hope, of course their will be sadness and grief but the service and the spoken word remind us of our shared hope in the eternal life that is promised by Jesus to those who turn to him.
The person conducting the funeral service will usually meet with the family in advance to discuss your thoughts and plans and to ensure that each service says something about the person who has died. This can often be the first meeting of many as we seek to keep in touch with you after the funeral and invite you to services of remembrance and thanksgiving.
We recognise that organising a funeral can be difficult, it is done when people are feeling emotional and upset and often they are organised by family members or friends who have never had to do this before.
Please feel free to contact one of the team here at St Thomas for further support and advice.
Thinking Ahead
It is a good idea to think about your own funeral and make plans for the type of service you would like. Most families and friends appreciate knowing what their relative or friend would have liked, and it is not always easy talking about these things beforehand. The Guild of All Souls provide a very useful leaflet called Upon my Death which brings together a lot of information that will be very useful to your next of kin and encourages you to think carefully about the service, the music and all the arrangements.
Lent 2023
The Season of Lent is traditionally a time when Christians fast (give something up), give to charity and take up some additional devotional activity. This can include prayer, study and scripture reading.
These Lenten disciplines should be thought about before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and then we practice them through to the Easter celebration. On Ash Wednesday we receive the sign of the cross on our forehead as a sign of our desire to seek forgiveness and our commitment to use this season of Lent as a time of growth. The cross is made using the ash that comes from the burning of last years palm crosses.
Stations of the Cross
Held in the church we follow the way of Jesus during his last few hours. Beginning with his appearance before Pontius Pilate and walking the way of the Cross, we retrace his journey through Jerusalem to the place where he died, before finishing with Jesus’ body being laid in the tomb.
Each station includes a reading, a moment of reflection and a prayer. Those less able to walk are invited to sit in the chairs, rather than attempt the walk or the standing.
During Lent the Stations will be walked every Saturday morning at 09.30 leading into a shortened celebration of the Mass.*
*On Saturday 25th March we keep the feast of the Annunciation. Mass with anointing at 09.30 and then Station of the Cross at 10.15
Please do give it a go, the leader will explain how it works and a leaflet with the shared words is used so that all can join in.
Evening Mass with Homily
Tuesdays at 19.30 throughout Lent
Holy Week and Easter Dates
Palm Sunday – 2nd April – 10.00 Procession from Chapel Ruins
Chrism Mass – 3rd April – 12.00 Chelmsford Cathedral
Maundy Thursday – 6th April – 20.00 Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Good Friday – 7th April – 15.00 The Lord’s Passion
Easter Vigil – 8th April – 20.00 Easter Vigil & Parish Party
Easter Sunday – 9th April – 10.00 Sung Mass and Children’s Activities.
Lent Group
Is being run by Carolyn and which will centre around prayer. The group will meet in the Lady Chapel in Church at 12.45 after the Wednesday Mass has finished. Packed lunches are welcome! If you have questions, please contact Carolyn direct via carolynrobertson1961@gmail.com or text 07736 160977
The Group is meeting on the following Wednesdays, 1st March, 15th March, & 29th March
Sunday Conversations about Prayer
Will continue through Lent on the first Sunday of the Month after the 10.00 Mass
Sunday 5th March – The Season of Lent – Why?
Sunday 2nd April – Holy Week – a week like no other.
Daily Reflections and Readings
Our Lent Book, available to purchase for only £3.00 here contains a daily reading, meditation and prayer from Ash Wednesday through to Easter.
Lent Appeal
Charitable giving is a significant part of keeping Lent and this year our Lenten appeal is for the Additional Curates Society who work to encourage and support vocations to the priesthood. They run Vocations Conferences for men exploring a vocation, provide resources and support through the discernment process. They also financially support parishes with curates by covering expenses or housing costs. The ACS have kindly supported us these last couple of years as they have contributed to the cost of providing Stokes House for Fr Matthew.
Please do take and use a collecting box and magazine and return the box with your money in it, at Easter.
Weddings
Getting married in Church is a wonderful and moving occasion as you get to use this beautiful building and exchange your vows before God and your gathered friends and family. It is also much easier than most people imagine and significantly cheaper than many other options!
The clergy of the Church of England are allowed to complete all the legalities around getting married and act as the registrar when couples get married in Church. There are of course some legal requirements that must be fulfilled, but we are delighted to guide you through these and work with you as you prepare for your special day.
As we work with you, we get to know each other which helps to ensure that each wedding is personal, intimate and relaxed, while making sure that your days goes as smoothly as possible.
Valerie is our weddings coordinator and she manages your wedding, overseeing the preparation meetings and the rehearsal and ensuring that all the legal preliminaries, including the calling of Banns are met. To make an enquiry about having your wedding at St Thomas please complete the form opposite.