Baptism for Children

Baptism for children under 8

Baptism is the sacrament of becoming a Christian. For Catholics, it is the first step in a lifelong journey with the saving power of Christ. The new Christian is welcomed into the loving community both physically and spiritually. As your child grows, they will develop their understanding and character in a very real way through the love, guidance and example of those around them. This includes your family, godparents, and our parish community. Spiritually, baptism is a sign of God's presence and a channel of God's blessing for your child.

Baptisms are celebrated on Sundays, sometimes within the celebration of Mass and sometimes after Mass at 12:00 noon. We have two Churches in our parish: Our Lady Help of Christians in Epping and St Gerard's in Carlingford. The form below has easy dropdown options from which you can choose dates for specific churches.

To register your child for baptism, please complete the form below. If you have queries about the registration you have submitted or would like to speak with someone regarding the sacrament, please contact Belinda Shi on 0414 753 362. Alternatively please contact the office on 02 9876 2853 during business hours. 

Once your registration has been received, Belinda will contact you to arrange a meeting and provide you with more information. Once again, we look forward to being a part of this celebration with you, and we pray that it will be the beginning of a life-long journey of faith, hope and love for your child within our Catholic faith community.

All information collected is treated in strict accordance with our Diocesan Privacy Policy a copy of which is available by clicking here.

Baptism Booking Form

Family information:

Name and date of birth of other children in family:

Godparents:

We ask that you choose up to two godparents. There must be at least one Catholic godparent and if the other is not Catholic, then he/she has to be a baptised Christian.

1. Preparation session:

Firstly, to help you in preparing for your child's baptism and to make the day special and memorable, we'd like you to attend a preparation session prior to the Rite of Welcome or baptism. It usually goes for an hour and it covers the spiritual aspects, the order of events on the day, how to dress your baby, and all those questions you may have. It is also an opportunity for you to get acquainted (or re-acquainted!) with our vibrant parish community which may inform you of some activities you weren't aware we had. It is relaxed and often with other parents. This session is held at 11am in the parish meeting room at St Gerard's. Please pick a date below.

2. Rite of Welcome:

The second step is a Rite of Welcome which follows the Baptism Preparation meeting. This is simply for your baby to be blessed before the baptism and to introduce you as a family to the community. It is informal and done during Mass. The date needs to be before the baptism date preferably at the elected church which your child is to be baptised.

(In the dropdown list - OLHC is our Church in Epping, Our Lady Help of Christians, and St Gerard's is our Church in Carlingford)

3. Baptismal Date:

Lastly, please choose a date for your child's baptism. This date should be after the completion of the Baptism Preparation and the Rite of Welcome. Should you wish to discuss dates or need to change them later, please enter the desired date and call us to discuss during business hours on 02 9876 2853.

Church details:

Our Lady Help of Christians - 29 Oxford Street, Epping NSW 2121

St Gerard Majella's - 543 North Rocks Road, Carlingford NSW 2118 


Other rites, permissions and family matters:

Eastern rite

Does either parent belong to an Easter Rite in the Catholic Church?* - required
If you live outside our parish boundaries, we would ask you to attach a letter from your local Parish Priest indicating his agreement for the baptism to proceed, unless you are a parishioner from Epping & Carlingford. 
Has this letter from your Parish Priest been sought?* - required
Please upload the letter now if you have it, or email it to us soon.

Permission to use your child's name:

Do you give consent for your child's name to be used in our Parish Bulletin?

Consent is given* - required

Family Law Matters:

If applicable, are there any Court Orders concerning residence arrangements for the child, time spent by the child with either parent, or parenting issues?

Are there any Family Law Matters?* - required

Final comments from you:

Are there any questions you have, or is there anything else you'd like to tell us?

Mandatory field(s) marked with *