Meeting Summary
Chantel, Director of Children and Families at Archdiocesan Ministries in Brisbane, opened by naming a striking reality: approximately 50,000 children make the sacraments of initiation in Australia each year, and not one of them drove themselves to a preparation session. That number represents an enormous network of parents, grandparents, and extended family — a group that, she argued, is arguably the Church’s greatest untapped opportunity for evangelisation. The problem is that most parishes greet these families with forms, fees, and schedules rather than relationship — treating sacramental preparation as a certification process rather than an invitation into encounter with God.
Her team’s response has been to build programs that lead with hospitality and relationship rather than administration. The flagship initiative is Preparing for Baptism — a video-based resource launched in 2025, designed to scaffold baptism preparation sessions in parishes that may not have dedicated sacramental coordinators or feel confident delivering the content themselves. The four-part video moves from a warm welcome and proclamation of the kerygma, through an explanation of the sacraments, to a guided meditation inviting parents to recall the day their child was born and connect that love to God’s love for them. Chantel described rooms of reluctant dads — who’d rather be home watching football — visibly softened by that reflection.
Beyond the baptism resource, the team runs in-person sacramental sessions for parents across parishes, always centring an encounter moment and finding ways to get parents to practice being their child’s first educator in the room. They have also built Encounter Catholic Kids, a children’s ministry initiative offering junior youth groups, holiday programs, and YouTube videos for families to watch at home — and this year launched an Instagram page aimed directly at the parents of primary school children, meeting them where they actually are.
About the Presenter
Chantel is Director of Children and Families at Archdiocesan Ministries, Archdiocese of Brisbane, a role she has held since 2021. She brings over 20 years of experience across Catholic education, early childhood development, and parish ministry, previously serving as Associate Director at Evangelisation Brisbane. She and her husband Arthur have been married 33 years, have four adult children and one grandchild, and have led children’s ministry as volunteers in the Emmanuel Community for over two decades.
Key Takeaways
- 50,000 children make the sacraments of initiation in Australia each year — each one surrounded by a network of family members who come to the Church and whose spiritual lives are largely being left untouched. Sacramental preparation is one of the most significant evangelisation opportunities the Church has, and most parishes are not using it as one.
- The shift from “arbitrators of grace” to “facilitators of grace” — Pope Francis’s framing — requires leading with relationship, not administration. When the first interaction families have is paperwork and payment, no wonder they experience it as a transaction.
- The Preparing for Baptism resource is available nationally (currently on USB, with an online version in development). It’s designed so parishes without specialist staff can still deliver a session that is warm, faith-filled, and genuinely moves parents — not just informs them.
- Getting children to ask their parents “why did you have me baptised?” in the room together is one of the most effective tools Chantel’s team uses. Parents always rise to the occasion, and the answers they give create an opening to name where the Holy Spirit is already active in their family.
- Meeting parents where they are means going to Instagram, not waiting for them to come to parish notice boards. The Encounter Catholic Kids Instagram page was built specifically for the generation of parents whose children are currently in primary school.
