It may be several weeks off yet but it's time to order your Guild of St Stephen medals for altar servers - if you haven't done so already.

Parishes need to get their orders in by the end of this month in order to have the medals for the feast day on Wednesday 26 December.

Kathryn Bayliss, from the Diocesan Vocations Office, is encouraging parishes to contact her as soon as possible if they haven't already done so.

What you need to do:

Please remember that an order form needs to be completed when ordering any Guild of St Stephen medals and that payment, including the postage and packing charge, is sent with your order.

If you require any order forms, please see below.

Be aware that all orders should be placed by the end of November to ensure they will be processed and posted by the last day for posting parcels in December to catch the Christmas post, if parishes wish to have the medals for St Stephen’s Day.

If you have any queries regarding ordering stock or with requesting any of the special anniversary medals please contact Kathryn Bayliss at [email protected] or on 0121 321 5144, as soon as possible.

The Guild of St Stephen is an international organisation of altar servers, founded in England in 1904 by Fr Hamilton McDonald. The Guild has spread and developed since then.

The objectives of the Guild are: To encourage, positively and practically, the highest standards of serving at the Church's liturgy and so contribute to the whole community's participation in a more fruitful worship of God.

To provide altar servers with a greater understanding of what they are doing so that they may serve with increasing reverence and prayerfulness and thereby be led to a deepening response to their vocation in life.

To unite servers of different parishes and dioceses for their mutual support and encouragement.