Presenter: Chantale Wilson

Director Children and Families Archdiocesan Ministries Brisbane.

Summary

This presentation was given to the Life Marriage and Family Network on June 26, 2025 by Chantale Wilson, the director of children and families at the Archdiocese of Brisbane, who shared the Preparing for Baptism resource developed by her team. This multimedia resource is designed to help parishes engage and evangelize parents during baptismal preparation.

Chantale outlined the key principles and foundations behind her team’s work, including seeing parents as the primary educators of their children’s faith, the church as a family of families, and the importance of a pastoral, relationship-focused approach rather than an administrative one.

Chantale discussed other initiatives her team has launched, such as engaging parents more deeply during sacramental preparation and the Encounter Catholic Kids program to reach younger families through online and in-person children’s ministry.

The presenter emphasized the significant opportunity presented by the thousands of families that come to the church each year for the sacraments of initiation, and the need to approach this with a missionary mindset focused on relationship-building rather than just administration.

Notable Quotes

“We sow seeds that the Holy Spirit will then work with and please Jesus bring to fruition over time.” (32:00)

“Catholic values wanting to be a part of God’s family. It’s a tradition in our family. These are all good reasons. They might not be the fullness of the faith, but they’re good reasons. So then we would say and now let me tell you what God’s reasons are – God’s reasons for you being baptized is that God loves you and God wants to share his life and his love with you so that you can share it with the world.” (47:00)

Detailed Insights

Parents are the primary educators of their children’s faith, and the church must support and empower them in this role (14:00).

The church must approach sacramental preparation with a missionary mindset focused on relationship-building and encountering families where they are, rather than just administrative processes (32:00, 46:00).

Multimedia and visually engaging resources are needed to effectively reach and evangelize the current generation of parents and families (52:00).

The Preparing for Baptism resource incorporates video, music, personal testimonies, and a focus on encounter and relationship to support parishes in engaging parents (13:00 – 35:00).

Chantale’s team has launched other initiatives like Encounter Catholic Kids to reach families through online content and in-person children’s ministry (45:00 – 46:00).

The presenters cited the significant number of families that come to the church each year for sacraments as a major opportunity for evangelization (32:00).

Themes and Trends

The role of parents as primary educators of their children’s faith (14:00)

The need for a pastoral, relationship-focused approach in ministry (32:00, 46:00)

Leveraging multimedia and visually engaging resources to reach families (52:00)

Emerging Trends

The shift towards more multimedia, experiential, and relationship-based approaches in sacramental preparation and children’s ministry (52:00)

The growing recognition of the significant opportunity presented by families coming to the church for sacraments. (32:00)

Watch the presentation below: