As the Parish Church in Redbourn, all who live in the village or have a particular connection with St Mary’s are welcome to come for baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals here. These are important life moments and as a church we seek to support and help you in preparing for these services and to explain what each entails. If you’d like to enquire about having such a service at St Mary’s the best place to start is by getting in touch with the Vicar, The Revd Will Gibbs

Funerals

We recognise that the death of a loved one can be very difficult for those left behind. We work closely with the family and the funeral directors to make this process as easy as possible for you.

The funeral directors are able to provide advice on many of the practical aspects of the service, including the costs involved. If the person who has died lived in the parish or had a special connection with St Mary’s, the funeral directors will then contact us on your behalf, to arrange for one of the clergy here to take the service. This might be a service in church and / or at the crematorium, or could include a burial in the churchyard for Redbourn residents.

There is no need to contact us directly in most cases, as this will be done by the funeral directors, but if you do have specific questions then do get in touch directly with us. Either way, we will then meet you to discuss the service – the music, readings and prayers that you would like. Just as each person is unique, so we try and reflect their particular personality and interests in the choices surrounding the service and will be happy to give you advice and assistance with this.

We also understand that the bereavement process does not stop after the funeral. If you would like to discuss your feelings with someone, please do let us know and we will be pleased to offer counselling and support. In November each year we have a special service when we invite people whose loved ones we have taken the funeral for in the last few years to come and share in an act of remembrance and just before Christmas at our ‘Lights of Love’ service, we have a special fir tree in the churchyard lit up in memory of our loved ones who have died.

Following a funeral, you may have specific questions about interring the ashes of your loved one in our Garden of Remembrance or into an existing grave, or adding a headstone in the case of a burial. Do get in touch if we can help with these matters.

There are specific rules and guidelines relating to the care and upkeep of the churchyard, and more information can be found in the pdf attached.