Baptism in our Parish
Preparing for baptism may involve attending a Baptismal Preparation Course (see below) as well as organising your paperwork and arranging a date that suits the people who will be sharing the day with you. We suggest that you book for baptism at least two months
before the date you want so all the preparations can be
made. However, if you are likely to have logistical issues that take time to sort out (e.g. you have records in another Diocese or country), three months minimum would be a safer choice. If the preparations haven't been completed, we regret that we can't guarantee to conduct the baptism.
Our regular baptism times are: (February - December)
2nd Sunday of the month at St John Vianney Church
at 10.30am
4th Saturday of the month at St Jude’s Church 11.30am (Reverend Deacon Vince
Barclay)
We can’t guarantee that other times will be available: this would
need to be discussed with the celebrant. Also, we prefer not to have more than
4 children involved for baptism for logistical reasons.
If you would like a celebrant other than Father Lim or Reverend Deacon
Barclay to conduct the baptism, this would need to be agreed to by Father Lim.
As baptism is a celebration within, and shared by, the parish faith community, we ask that
you bring your child to a Mass (either the 5.00pm Vigil on Saturday evening, the
9.00 am on Sunday or the 5.00pm on Sunday) during the month before the baptism to be presented
to the parish. You just need to arrive a little
early and let the priest know that you are there for the presentation.
The first formal step in the baptism process is registering with us (which includes selecting your date). Although the administration of the Sacrament of Baptism is completely free, it is customary to give the priest or deacon a gift as an expression of gratitude to him for his time and involvement and to also financially help our parish. As many parents ask how much is customary we suggest the amount of $75 which would be very much appreciated. This amount covers administrative expenses as well as the gift to the priest/deacon involved with the Baptism. We accept registration and payment via the secure Qkr! by
Masterpass App. It’s an app that you can download for your phone, from the
App store or Google Play:
- Type in Our Lady of the Annunciation Parish.
- On the menu, select Parish, and then Second Collection, Parish payments and Baptism. then Sacrament. This is where you will commit to pay the stipend.
- Once you commit to pay, you will be taken to the registration form to fill in.
If you have not previously attended a Baptismal Preparation Course
(or it was more than 5 years since), it is a requirement as part of preparing
for the baptism. The parish’s course is conducted by Rev Deacon Barclay at St
John Vianney Church, Waramanga on the first Tuesday evening of the month at
7.30pm except for January. Please ring the parish office on 6288 1979 (9.00 am to 3.00 pm
Tuesday & Friday) to book for the session. If you do not live in this parish, a
preparation course conducted by your home parish is suitable.
If you are a member of the parish, the Baptism will become part of
your story in the parish family. We ask you to please complete the parish
census form below if you haven't previously done so, to let us create a record
for you, or if there are details you'd like us to update in your record.
Fr Michael also requires a copy of your child's birth certificate
please.