• Children's Baptism: Procedure
• Online Baptism Seminar
• Documents Required
• Government Requirements
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

ABOUT

“Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission” (CCC 1213, see also  Mathew 28:19,  John 3:5,  Acts 10:47-48,  Acts 2:38-39)

ADULT BAPTISM

We welcome you to baptize your child here at St. Joseph cathedral in Abu Dhabi. Parents have a serious obligation to baptize their children as early as possible. Baptism is an important part of their duty to raise the children in the faith handed down by Jesus in the Catholic Church. Our parish is happy to support families and parents in this important task.

We recommend that parents prepare for the baptism as early as possible, even before the child is born. This enables the preparation to be more relaxed and meaningful. Please follow the steps below to book your baptism at St. Joseph's:.

1. Choose the godparents (please see our FAQ  for the criteria for church godparents) and assemble the required documents (click here) for parents and godparents.

2. Parents and godparents must complete a Baptism Seminar/Preparation Course at a Catholic church. The Baptism Seminar at St. Joseph is currently conducted online (click here to register). There are no requirements for registration or taking the course.

3. When the week of the Seminar ends, parents will receive two forms: Form for the Baptism Register and Attendee Information for Government. To book the baptism, email the completed forms, required documents and requested day/time (if any) back to the Parish Office 15 or more days before the baptism ceremony.

Days for Baptism: Sundays (morning only), Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays

Hours: 10:30 a.m. to noon (morning); 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. (evening)

Note: Civilly married couples must speak with a priest after completing the Seminar and prior to booking the baptism. Information on booking an appointment with the priest is provided during the Baptism Seminar.

If the baptism will take place in another Catholic church: parents and/ or godparents can request a Baptism Seminar Participation Certificate instead by emailing the Parish Office.

4. Baptism. Kindly note that current government regulations strictly restrict attendance to 4 adults and the child to be baptized.

For more information, please see our FAQ.

St. Joseph Cathedral Online Baptism Seminar consists of an online video and individual online responses. Links are sent to parents and godparents by 8PM on the date they select during registration. (If you do not receive the link, please check your "Spam" or "Junk" mail; otherwise, email the Parish Office.)

The links are available for one week, and parents and godparents can complete the seminar at their convenience at any time during that week. Note that  Seminar Participation certificates are only released after the Seminar week and not before, even if participants have submitted their response early. Please see the FAQ for more information on the Seminar.

Click the appropriate button below to register. There are no requirements for registration. 

REGISTRATION FOR the parents

Registration for the Godparents

The following documents are required 15 or more days before Baptism. They can be submitted to the Parish office in hard copy, or emailed to abuparish@yahoo.com. Please send all required documents in a single email with the subject "Baptism of (name of child)".

• Completed Form for Baptismal Register (sent by the Parish Office to all parents who have successfully completed the St. Joseph Online Baptism Seminar. If you have done a Seminar elsewhere, please email the Office for this Form).
• Completed Attendee Information for Government (sent by the Parish Office to all parents who have successfully completed the St. Joseph Online Baptism Seminar. If you have done a seminar elsewhere, please email the Office for this Form).
• Photocopy/ Scan of the parents' Church Marriage Certificate. If not married in the church, must speak with a priest after the Baptism Seminar.
• Photocopy/ Scan of child's Birth Certificate 
• Photocopy/Scan of proof that Godparent(s) have received the Sacrament of Confirmation (e.g. old or new Confirmation Certificate)

NOTES:

• Godparents must be baptized and confirmed practicing Catholics. There can be one godfather OR one godmother OR one godfather and one godmother.  For more information, please see the FAQ. 
• Parents not living in Abu Dhabi (St. Joseph Parish) also require a 'no objection'/permission letter from their parish priest. 
• Parents and godparent(s) who do a Baptism Seminar at another church instead of St. Joseph should also provide a Seminar participation certificate/letter.

Additional Requirements
(From the Government Department of Community Development)

To apply for government permission (which takes 10 working days or more) to hold the baptism ceremony, the following information must be submitted to the Parish Office for each person who will be present at the baptism ceremony using the Attendee Information for Government Form:

• Full name of the person
• Emirates ID number (if resident) OR passport number and nationality (if visitor).

The Parish Office receives many questions on Baptism and our procedures. We have made a list of the most common questions we receive. Click the link below to see if your question is answered here, before contacting the Parish Office (abuparish@yahoo.com)

Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)