Good Shepherd
Celebrating Milestones

BAPTISMS

Baptisms are scheduled on several Sundays throughout the year that are liturgically linked with this celebration such as the 1st Sunday after Epiphany/the Baptism of Jesus, Easter Vigil, Pentecost Sunday and All Saints Sunday (early November). We also schedule a mid-summer baptism on a date that is convenient to the families involved (usually late July or early August). Exceptions are sometimes made to accommodate family members who are traveling from overseas. Baptisms normally take place at the 10:15 am service.

We operate on a "first come, first served basis." Whoever requests a baptism first can choose which Sunday service works best for them. Normally, Fr. MacColl meets for 90 minutes with the parents and godparents on the Saturday prior to the baptism, at a time that is convenient to the families. Please contact the parish office if you wish to schedule a baptism. Parents may request that the baptism be officiated by another Episcopal priest or by one of our Deacons, but this should be cleared with the Rector. Private baptisms are only scheduled in unusual circumstances and baptisms are not normally scheduled during the season of Lent.

COMMUNION

Baptized children are encouraged to receive communion at any age at the discretion of their parents. At Good Shepherd, many infants and young children receive the bread even though they don't have a cognitive understanding of the meaning of the sacrament. We support this practice since it is part of our teaching in the Episcopal Church that children associate receiving communion with being full baptized members of the Church. We also support parents' decision to delay the reception of communion until their children are older.

We offer a communion instruction class every other year as part of our Sunday School curriculum in the spring both for children who have been in the habit of receiving communion from an early age and for those who have not. Normally this class is geared to children who are at reading age. Whether children receive the wine at communion is up to the parents. If a child does not receive the wine, they are asked to cross their arms over their chests to signal to the chalice bearer that they do not wish to partake of the cup.

WEDDINGS

The clergy at Good Shepherd are happy to discuss wedding plans with couples. The most important thing for couples to discuss with us is their intentions for living out their wedding vows in the context of a Christian community. At the time couples request having their marriage here, they do not need to be active members of the congregation. However, Good Shepherd does not schedule weddings for couples unless they intend to seek a relationship with the congregation or intend to live out their new life in another church community. We have no specific requirements for how long a couple needs to be attending worship here before the clergy will commit to perform their marriage. The important thing is that couples are willing to begin attending worship and developing a relationship with the clergy and with the congregation.

Before making any plans for your wedding date, please call the parish office to schedule an appointment to meet with Fr. Craig MacColl, our Rector to discuss your plans and to ensure that you are aware of the facilities, and requirements of the Episcopal Church and Good Shepherd. At this time many important details will be discussed, including the wedding rehearsal date and time, requirements, and financial consideration.

Fr. MacColl usually schedules three, one-hour, pre-marital counseling sessions with couples. As part of the counseling, couples are asked to complete a pre-marriage inventory. The purpose of this questionnaire is to help the clergy and the couple evaluate strengths and weaknesses in ten areas of relationships. If the bride and groom are unable to be in the Denver area prior to the wedding, they may receive their counseling from another priest of the Episcopal Church, who will then certify to Fr. MacColl that the counseling requirements have been fulfilled.

Normally, one of the clergy of Good Shepherd will officiate at the wedding service. Should you desire to have another priest or minister officiate or assist, the Rector of Good Shepherd must approve this.

The season of Lent (usually mid or late February to late March or early April) is a penitential season. For this reason, Good Shepherd refrains from having wedding celebrations during Lent. Sundays are extremely busy for Good Shepherd's clergy and staff, so wedding cannot usually be scheduled on Sundays. On occasion, weddings can take place during the normal Sunday morning Eucharist service.

PLEASE NOTE: If either the bride or groom has been previously married, they must complete a form from the Bishop of Colorado and write a letter to the Bishop explaining the causes of the termination of their previous marriage or marriages, and what they have learned from their experience that will help them in their future marriage. This process requires that all couples notify Good Shepherd of their wedding plans at least 60 days prior to the marriage date.

Seating Capacities
The Sanctuary of Good Shepherd seats 300 people. The St. Francis Chapel seats up to 50 people.

Music
Following your meeting with Fr. MacColl, you should contact Dr. Stephen Fiess, our Director of Music if you wish to have music at your wedding. Dr. Fiess is an accomplished classical pianist as well as an organist and he will help you select appropriate music. In general, we encourage couples to select wedding music from the classical repertoire, but are willing to discuss other types or choral or instrumental music. We discourage the use of recorded music, unless it is used as background music for a live soloist(s).

It is our policy that only Good Shepherd's organist is to play for weddings in the sanctuary or in the chapel. If you have special circumstances that require another organist to play, it must be approved and arranged through Dr. Fiess. Instruments, ensembles, and vocalists may be used in the service. If you need help, Dr. Fiess can suggest names of musicians. The normal fee for the organist to play at weddings is $150.

Flowers and Decorations Normally, one large bouquet is placed on the right side of the altar weddings, although flowers can also be placed on the floor in front of the altar. Weddings flowers should be fresh and not artificial. Flowers are usually left on the altar following the wedding and used for the Sunday service the following day, with an acknowledgment in the Sunday bulleting such as "Altar Flowers are given in thanksgiving for the marriage of….."

You have two main options for ordering wedding flowers. You may arrange this with our own Flower Coordinator, Lori DeLue, or you may order flowers either from Bannister's or Heritage Flowers. You may also order from another florist. Any other floral decorations used for the wedding must be removed from the church following the service.

Candles
Couples may incorporate the "Unity Candle" liturgy into the wedding service and are expected to provide the unity candle stand and the required three candles. Other than the processional torches that stand in front of the altar, no other candles are normally used for weddings at Good Shepherd.

Photographs
We realize that photographs are an important part of your wedding. Your photographer may take flash pictures before and after the wedding and during the processional and recessional, but we ask that no flash pictures be taken during the ceremony. Photographers may take pictures from the back of the church without a flash. The church will be open 2 hours prior to the service for photography with the wedding party.
Your wedding may be videotaped, but the photographer may not use extra lighting and videos are taken only from a fixed point in the back of the church on the right side.

The Rehearsal
Normally, a wedding rehearsal is scheduled the night before the ceremony, usually in the late afternoon around 5-5:30 pm. A team of wedding coordinators will be present at the rehearsal and at the wedding to assist the bride and groom, and the wedding party.

The Ceremony
Weddings at Good Shepherd are performed from the wedding service in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. This is a very flexible service and allows for couples to insert prayers and readings of their own choosing, as long as at least one scripture reading in read during the service. Couples may choose to include the service of Holy Eucharist in the wedding.

Additional Fees
Good Shepherd has no set fees for weddings. Normally, couples are asked to pay for the cost of the pre-marital counseling with Fr. MacColl at a rate of $50 per hour. It is customary for the couple to present the officiating clergy with an honorarium. Such gifts are gratefully received since priests give considerable time and effort to weddings. An amount of $150-$500 is suggested as a guide. Such an honorarium is usually presented to the priest after the wedding ceremony.

FUNERALS

Funerals at Good Shepherd can be scheduled at any time other than Sundays. The best time is often in the late morning, which allows friends and family to take time off from work to attend. Funerals may be scheduled on Saturdays since this is a time when most people are free to attend. If you experience a death in your family, please contact the church office as soon as possible so planning for the funeral can begin. Once you have contacted the church office and scheduled a time to meet with clergy, you will be instructed to contact the church organist, Dr. Stephen Fiess and the parish Flower Coordinator, Lori DeLue, in order to make arrangements for the service.

Flowers
Due to the increasingly high cost of flowers, we encourage the family of the deceased to encourage friends and family to make donations to a charity of the family's choice in lieu of flowers. Our own flower coordinator can provided a wonderful bouquet(s) for the funeral at a much lower cost than commercial florists.

The Ceremony
The burial liturgy is taken from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer and families may choose to include the service of Holy Eucharist as part of the funeral.

Visitation
the family wishes to have a brief visitation prior to the service, this may be scheduled with the church and with the funeral home. Normally, the casket is placed in the chapel and a viewing area is set aside for this purpose.

Receptions
If the family wishes to have a reception following the funeral, this may be scheduled through the church office. Good Shepherd has a team of women ("The Marthas") who are willing to assist in the arrangements for the reception. We encourage family to work out a reception budget and make arrangements for food and refreshments in consultation with Judy Larsen, the Marthas coordinator. The family may make arrangements for purchasing food and/or the services of a caterer or ask the Marthas to make these arrangements. The Good Shepherd parish hall can accommodate up to 200 people for funeral receptions.