Sacraments & Sacramental Rites

“An outward, visible sign of an inward, invisible grace”

St. Mary’s works hard to provide preparation and support for major events in peoples’ lives. We usually hold baptisms four times a year with baptism preparation classes for candidates and/or parents shortly before the baptism.

We'd love to talk to you about the baptism of you or your child. Email, call, or stop by our office to arrange a meeting.

Baptism

Wonderful! Please contact our Family Ministry team at family@stmaryskerrisdale.ca
We offer a confirmation course every other year to support young people through the confirmation process. The course consists of several classes - where candidates will meet with the Family Ministry team and attend the Confirmation Prep Day hosted by the Diocese and Bishop.
If you are an adult interested in being confirmed, please contact us, and we will work with you to find the best way to support you through this sacred step in your faith journey. (info@stmaryskerrisdale.ca)

Confirmation

Confirmation is a sacrament of the Anglican Church when one decides to affirm one's baptismal promises and to be confirmed in God’s love. Confirmation often takes place between the ages of 12 and 16, however, anyone at any age who has been baptized may choose to be confirmed.

Confirmation at St Mary's involves a set of classes that usually run from October/November until the Diocesan-wide confirmation service which takes place sometime around Easter (March/April).

If you wish to take your vows in the Anglican faith, we are here for you. We suggest to all couples that they first attend service at St. Mary’s in order to familiarize themselves with the tradition and practices of the Parish.
You can then contact the Office to request an interview with the Rector and start the process. 
To get married in the Parish the only pre-requisite is that one person in the couple is baptized in the Christian faith.
As part of marriage preparations at St. Mary’s, couples undergo counseling sessions where they will discuss different topics to help guide them into the secure and lifelong union that they will build with each other in this new stage of their lives.  
When you get married as part of the Anglican Church, the moment is shared with the people through the eucharist. All participants/attendees are encouraged to take part in the act of communion, making the moment holy for everyone in the ceremony, and serving to build the roots of the community that opens up to you at St. Mary’s.  
If you're interested, don’t hesitate to give us a call or write us an email, we’d be happy to hear from you!

Wedding

Congratulations on deciding to take this wonderful step in your life!

We would be very excited to be part of this journey with you and help you in the preparations of this joyful moment that will unite your life paths with each other and with Christ. 

St. Mary’s performs weddings for couples of all gender identities (including two-spirit people, trans people, gender-nonconforming people, and nonbinary people) and all sexual orientations. If you identify as a member of any of these groups, know that we welcome you and look forward to celebrating your marriage at St. Mary’s.

For more information or to make inquiries about a funeral service please contact our office: office@stmaryskerrisdale.ca

Funeral

We know how hard the death of a loved one is, so if you are looking at this section because of the recent death of a loved one, please accept our condolences for your loss. Our clergy are available to provide pastoral care and support to family and friends as you move through the funeral process. We will work with you to plan an appropriate funeral for your loved one. Funerals can be simple private family affairs or a larger ceremony but the intent of a funeral or a memorial service is to celebrate the life of a loved one and to acknowledge our own loss and grief.

For those who would like to work through their own funeral preparations in advance of their death, our clergy are happy to have those conversations and help you make your plans.  Some find it helpful to have their wishes known while they are still healthy so that when death does occur the family doesn’t need to wonder about what choices to make.