Infant Baptisms are celebrated at St Kieran's Manly Vale and St Cecilia's Balgowlah by appointment.
What's Involved?
In the Diocese of Broken Bay, the Baptism of Infants includes several steps.
1. Attend a Baptism Preparation Course. Parents attend the Preparation course prior to their baby being Baptised. This is a free, one-off course which runs for approximately 90 minutes. If you have a child who has already been Baptised, you do not need to attend this course. If your family resides in another parish, please ask your local Parish Priest to sign a Local Parish Permission Form so that your child can be Baptised at North Harbour.
2. Attend a Welcoming & Presentation ceremony. One to two weeks before your child will be Baptised, you will attend a weekend Mass during which your child will be welcomed and presented to the parish community. This ceremony is brief and takes place just after the Homily.
3. Choose Godparents. The role of godparents is to support parents in raising their child in the Catholic faith. They should be sources of encouragement and guidance for the child, helping them to grow in personal and spiritual development. At least one godparent must be a fully-initiated Catholic (received the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist), and be over 16 years of age. Godparents are asked to be present at the ceremony so that they can make their commitment publicly. If one of your child's godparents is unable to be present, you can nominate a proxy, or someone who represents them on the day.
3. Day of Baptism. Please dress your child in white and bring a white candle. Candles are available for purchase from the Parish Office for $15. It is customary to make a donation to the Priest on the day your child is Baptised, but this is completely voluntary.
How to Book Your Baby's Baptism
If this is your first child, or if you have not yet attended a Baptism Preparation course, we ask that you please contact
the Parish Office on 9949 4455 or at office@nhcatholic.org.au. Our Preparation courses are held regularly at St Kieran's
Church after the 9:30AM Sunday Mass.
If you have previously completed a Preparation course, simply call or email us to organise a date for your child's Baptism.
Further Reading:
Preparing for Baptism (PDF 48.3KB)
Being a Godparent (PDF 54.3KB)
Celebrating a Baptism (PDF 45.5KB)