Church of the Holy Family, Swindon

Music and liturgy

The parish strives for a variety of musical styles to touch every member of the community. The Music Ministry provides instrumental and choir services for all regularly scheduled Masses. The choirs welcome all from age 13 and older, requiring only a good singing voice and/or experience playing an instrument. The Youth Ministry engages in activities including Holy Hour, Praise and Worship, and Liturgy for Eucharistic Celebration.

Parish life

The parish runs a Youth Ministry for those in secondary school and above, drawing young people from different social and cultural backgrounds as part of the wider Clifton Diocese Youth Ministry. Eucharistic Ministers assist the priest in preparing the altar before Mass and in distributing the Body and Blood of Christ after the consecration. Youth parishioners from third grade upward who have received their First Holy Communion are invited to serve as altar servers at all Sunday and daily Masses. Any adult parishioner may participate in the Liturgy of the Word during Mass.

The Pastoral Council represents the entire parish and plans and guides its growth. The Parish Finance Committee, made up of selected professionals, acts as a consultative body to the parish priest. Catechism sessions are open to all children who attend the parish. Once children start schooling, they may join catechism sessions on Sundays during Mass, where they explore their faith in small groups with peers of a similar age.

A parish team helps count the coins collected each Sunday. The St Vincent de Paul Society is an international Christian voluntary organisation dedicated to tackling poverty and disadvantage by providing practical assistance to those in need, irrespective of ideology, faith, age or gender.

Sacraments and pastoral care

The parish asks families to contact the Parish Office as soon as possible if a sick or housebound person needs the parish priest to visit and administer the sacrament of the sick. The Confirmation program at Holy Family is designed to help young people explore, deepen and strengthen the seeds of faith they were given at baptism, with candidates themselves choosing the Catholic faith as a way of life. The Sacrament of Confirmation in 2026 took place on Tuesday, 9th June 2026. The First Holy Communion 2026 took place on Saturday 6th June 2026.

Visiting

The church welcomes visitors and anyone visiting for the first time. Parking is available in the car park behind the church and in the primary school car park on Sunday mornings and Saturday evenings.