Anyone of any age who has not been baptized/christened before, can arrange a baptism at St Barnabas or St Thomas the Martyr. A baptism and a christening are exactly the same Sacrament. The only difference is that you generally call the baptism of a baby, a ‘Christening’. To find out more about what Baptism means, click here

If you live in the parish and want to arrange a baptism for yourself or your child then you are welcome to come to a service (preferably Sunday at 10.30am) and find out more. Sunday services are child-friendly with a children’s area and a Sunday School.

If you live outside of the parish and want to arrange a baptism for yourself or your child then you need to attend worship at St Barnabas or St Thomas the Martyr for 6 months before arranging the baptism. You can always make contact with us first to tell us that you’d like to make your home with us, and we’d be delighted to meet you and make preparations with you.

To contact the Vicar to pursue your query then click below

If either or both of you live in the parish of St Barnabas, or St Thomas the Martyr, Oxford (click here to see what that means) then you can plan to have your wedding at St Barnabas Church in Jericho. A marriage is more than just a wedding, however! By having a wedding in the Church you are entering a supportive, caring and welcoming community and we offer preparation sessions and will guide you through your ceremony and be available to support you after your wedding is over.

If you and/or your partner live in the parish but are planning to get married in another Church, then we can read your banns at St Barnabas. Please contact the Vicar for this to be arranged.

To find out about the legal, financial and practical details of a Church wedding, click here

To contact the Vicar to pursue your query then click below

The ministry team regularly visit the sick at home or in hospital or in care homes. We also regularly take Holy Communion to people who are confined to their homes. Such visiting prevents social isolation and also helps people to sense the presence of God in their lives. The ministry team comprises of the Vicar and other ordained clergy as well as the parish Licensed Lay Ministers (LLMs) and also those training for ordination.

Funerals

We’ll always be here to help you through one of life’s most difficult times. A funeral at St Barnabas or St Thomas the Martyr is available to everyone in the parish or who are otherwise connected to us, and we will give support before, during and after the service, for as long as it’s needed.

The first thing to do when you are faced with the death of a loved one is to phone both the Vicar and a Funeral Director/undertaker of your choice and they will walk you through every step of the process.

Requiem Masses

For many of our people, attending a quiet Requiem Mass before the funeral, either on the day after a loved one’s death, or at another time can provide the time and space to come to terms with grief and shock. It is easy to arrange this, so please do contact the Vicar if you’d like this to happen. As a general rule, we pray daily for parishioners who have died from after their death until their funeral and then again on the anniversary of their death each year.

Memorial Services

It is possible to arrange a memorial service if the funeral of a loved one was held elsewhere or abroad. Please speak to the Vicar if this is something you would like to consider.

Private confession between a priest and a pilgrim has always been offered in the Church of England and is a regular part of many a Christian’s rule of life. Confession is the verbalising to God in the presence of a priest our sins and omissions and in return we are offered absolution and forgiveness. We are also offered counsel and advice as to how to discern God’s presence more closely in daily-life situations in the future. Confessions are currently by appointment with the Vicar and at 5pm on Thursdays.