Marriage, Baptisms and Funerals at St Mark's

Marriages at St Mark's

St Mark's, Newnham welcomes all those who wish and are eligible to be married in Church.

The Marriage Act 1949 defines those who can be married in which church. If you are over 18, not previously married (with a former spouse still living) and either resident in the parish of Newnham or on the Electoral Roll of the church then you have the right to be married at St Mark's.

If you do not fulfil one of these criteria, while you should be aware that you cannot therefore automatically be married at St Mark's and may have to find somewhere else, please contact the Vicar on (01223) 327621 to discuss the possible options open to you. For example, those who do not qualify to be married at St Mark's automatically by residence or by church membership a Special Licence is necessary and may be granted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The clergy will be happy to tell you more about this.

If you have been previously married or in a civil partnership which is now dissolved, and your former partner is still living, you will need to consult with the Vicar or Associate Priest about whether they could conduct a marriage service for you. The Church of England has guidelines about this and as such the bishop will need to be consulted with information about you both, and your circumstances.

If it does not seem appropriate for a 'second wedding' to go ahead in church, the clergy will be very happy to discuss the alternative option of a Service of Dedication (commonly called 'A Blessing') after a civil marriage ceremony.

A Service of Dedication is also something which those married abroad may like to take part in, order to celebrate their marriage with their friends in England.

All those getting married, or having a Blessing, at St Mark's, are asked to take part in a course of marriage preparation, involving about four or five meetings over several months. Please, therefore, book your wedding well in advance, particularly if either of you are often away from Cambridge, so that the preparation meetings can be accommodated in your diaries.

Please note that If you have registered a civil partnership which has not been dissolved then you are not legally able to marry.

Baptism at St Mark's

St Mark's, Newnham welcomes all those wishing to be baptized whether child or adult, and we have special responsibility for offering this to all those who live within the parish boundary. If you do not live within the parish boundary, the clergy will need to consult with those in the parish where you do live, so that, between us, we can offer helpful preparation for baptism, and a warm, on-going welcome in the life of the church afterwards.

Therefore, if inquiring from outside Newnham, it would be very helpful if you could provide the name and contact details of your own parish priest in advance.

To arrange a baptism, please contact the Vicar on (01223) 327621, or - if unavailable - the Church Administrator by emailing churchadministrator@stmarksnewnham.org. Before the service the Vicar will want to visit you to prepare you for the baptism and to explain the nature of the service.

You may like to arrange a baptism to take place during one of the Church's main services. However, you may prefer to have a baptism service by itself, either before or after lunch on a Sunday. If you choose the latter, you will be invited to attend a short 'welcome' ceremony by the local congregation during a main service soon after the date of baptism.

Those who may not feel that baptism is appropriate for their circumstances or beliefs ,but would like to celebrate the birth or adoption of a child with prayer and thanksgiving, can do so at St Mark's, and the clergy would be very happy to discuss this with you.

Whether for a baptism or thanksgiving, you will probably want to choose supporters or godparents for a child. The traditional number of godparents at a baptism is two of the same sex as the child, one of the other. However, this number is not mandatory. It is better to have fewer godparents who will undertake a real commitment towards your child and its Christian upbringing, rather than many who take the role lightly.

At the baptism of a young person or adult (which frequently takes place at the same time as confirmation), it is also customary to have godparents,often known as 'sponsors'. It is very good if these are people who have helped and accompanied the candidate in their journey into faith.

Funerals at St Mark's

Normally funerals are arranged by undertakers. A funeral service at St Mark's can be followed by burial in the Churchyard or by cremation and/or by the burial of cremated remains (ashes) in the Churchyard or elsewhere. Anyone who lives in Newnham at the time of their death may be buried in the churchyard.

Those living outside of Newnham at the time of their death, but who have had a substantial connection to the church or Newnham may also be buried in the Churchyard.

Please contact the Vicar on( 01223) 327621 , Associate Priest or the church administrator

churchadministrator@stmarksnewnham.org

if you wish to discuss holding a funeral service at St Mark's