Children's Baptism

At Our Lady of Dolours Chatswood Parish, we run a 'Childrens' Baptism' preparation program for children from 6-12 years of age, twice each year. Please see below for the next program's dates. To be eligible to join the program at least one parent needs to be Catholic. If this is not the case, we still welcome your enquiry and are happy to discuss this further with you.

The Preparation Program

Is held over three to four weeks and includes;

Two child-parent small group preparation sessions
Presentation and anointing at a 9.00am Family Mass
A practice in the church before the Baptism Ceremony

The Baptism

Once the Childrens' Baptism preparation program is completed children are eligible to be baptised. Baptisms for children in the program usually take place during our 9am Family Mass, however they can be arranged at another time.
The details of the dates and times of the next Children's Baptism program are listed below and on the Enrolment Form.

Next Childrens Baptism Dates

Date	Preparation Step	What Happens
Sunday 3 November 2024 10:00am	Kids Baptism Session One	Introduction to Baptism. The children learn what it means to belong to the family of Catholics and how God calls each of us by name. We start at 10:00am straight after the 9:00am family Mass in our St. Peter meeting room.
Sunday 10 November at 9:00am Mass	Presentation and Anointing	The children who are preparing for baptism are presented to the parish community and are anointed with sacred oil. This is an important part of the preparation for Baptism.
Sunday 10 November 2024 10:00am	Kids Baptism Session Two	After the presentation and anointing at 9am Mass, the children learn about the Symbols of Baptism and what will happen at the baptism ceremony. We start at 10:00am straight after the 9:00am family Mass in our St. Peter meeting room.
Saturday 16 November at 3:30pm	Kids Baptism Session Three - Practise	The children and their parents (godparents are also welcome), attend a special session in the church to go through what will happen in the baptism ceremony with a priest and reflect on what their baptism means for their lives with the program leader.
Sunday 17 November at 9:00am Mass	Baptisms	The children who have attended the preparation sessions are baptised at a 9:00am Family Mass. Note: There is a limit of the number of children who can be baptised in the same Mass. If there are several children, the Baptisms will be spread over several weeks.

Enrolment

To enrol your child into the Childrens' Baptism program, please complete the enrolment form below and return it to the parish office along with a copy of your child's birth certificate, by the due date noted on the form. Once it is received, someone from the parish office will contact you to confirm the program details.