FAQs

Please contact the nearest parish to the area in which you lived or believed your parents had you baptised. You can help in making their search easier by providing as many specific details as you can – i.e. I was born in 1972 and was baptised within the first 6 months of my life; my family name was…; Parishes may vary on whether a nominal fee is required to cover the costs of administration, postage etc.

In cases like these it is always best to contact the nearest parish to the area in which your antecedents lived to see if any extracts of the church sacramental registers can help verify facts. You can help in making the parish’s search easier by providing as many specific details as you can – i.e. they were born in 1892 but weren’t baptised until the age of 3; his father died when he was three so he would have been baptised under the name of Smith, but took on his stepfathers name… etc.

Please note parishes may vary on whether a nominal fee is required to cover the costs of administration, postage etc.

For older searches it may be necessary to contact the Archdiocesan Archives, for example the Cathedral parish spread far and wide in the late 18^th century. You can contact the Archdiocesan Archives via email at ar******@bn*.au or by phone on 3324 3433.

People seeking an annulment should contact the Regional Tribunal directly in Brisbane on 3324 3033 or via email at tr******@bn*.au 

They can assure professionalism, expertise and confidentiality.

People who would like to join the Catholic Church as adults do so via the Rite of Christian Initiation as an Adult (RCIA). Please note it is a process, and not a program. It all begins by making contact with your local parish. Candidates for the RCIA are traditionally received into the Church around  Easter time.

6 months notice needed.

With RCIA people often contact the Parish a few weeks before Easter, not realising that baptism and reception occurs on Holy Saturday night.  It takes time for applying, discerning and preparing.  The Parish recommends that you start in September/ October the year before Easter.  Individuals need to make contact and expect a good lead-up to the initiation or reception.