Christ the King, Bedford

Introduction

A bishop opened the new church, Christ the King in Bedford, on Whit Monday, 6 June 1960. A list of parishioners who had bought a brick was sealed in a wall cavity behind the foundation stone that a bishop laid at Christ the King in Bedford.

Music and liturgy

A small music group sings at Mass, and its members are not required to read music. Children's liturgy takes place during Sunday Mass.

A Latin Mass, the TLM, is celebrated. The parish has Mass welcomers, ushers or greeters, and hymn books are distributed or collected.

Parish life

The parish keeps a Requiescant in Pace section to remember the dead and pray for them, and a eulogy can be added. The parish Saint Vincent de Paul society meets every fortnight and can give assistance or a home visit. The parish is a collection point for the Bedford Foodbank.

The Legion of Mary meets each Saturday in the Patrick Donegan Room. A Mass in Lithuanian is offered.

The parish Zoom rosary group meets to say the rosary. Lay altar servers assist the priest at Mass, including fetching, carrying and ringing the altar bell, and full training is given. There is an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion. Parishioners can read at Mass.

Parishioners can help with the flowers. A stall by the church entrance sells Mass cards, rosaries, candles and other religious gifts after Mass. A parish reading group, Catholic in choice, reads new and old favourites. A home shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe can be taken for a week in a home.

A group weeds the building perimeters and the borders and edging of paths, and its group day is once a month. The parish has ecumenical ties with other Christian churches in the area, and joint events take place over the year.

A Parish Welcome Booklet, version 9.6 of March 2026, explains parish activities, with printed copies at the back of the church. Saint Thomas More is the parish secondary school, with a sixth form centre in Brickhill. Saint John Rigby is a parish primary school in Putnoe. The parish Catholic schools are rated Good by Ofsted and the Catholic Schools Inspectorate.

Sacraments and pastoral care

First Holy Communion and First Confession are offered with separate sessions for parents, and Confirmation classes are available as well. First Holy Communion classes for children and parents take place in the church, the hall, or the Patrick Donegan Room.

Couples planning to marry should see the parish priest at least six months before the proposed wedding date. The parish helps families plan a funeral, including planning before a death.