Find answers below to a number of Frequently Asked Questions. Please click on the arrow by each question to reveal the answer.

Look up our new Online Diocesan Directory, which is accessed via the Home Page of the website or under the Diocese tab.

There are a variety of search criteria to assist with locating the correct information.

If you are concerned about the welfare of a child or adult at risk, do not delay in contacting the police, using 999 if a child or adult is believed to be in immediate danger.

For all other matters, pleased contact the Archdiocese of Southwark Safeguarding Office by via the following means:

Visit our Department Contacts page

Visit the Becoming a Catholic page under the ‘Faith’ tab for more information and speak to your local parish priest.

You will need to receive instruction in the Catholic faith and encouraged to attend services over a period of time.  There is no time-pressure associated with this process, which is a journey of personal faith discovery.

For resources to help enrich your faith and prayer life, please visit our ‘Faith’ Tab on this website.

You will also find helpful information at the Agency for Evangelisation and Catechesis and Spirituality Commission, both of which can be found under the Mission tab.

If you are looking to get married in one of our parishes in the Archdiocese of Southwark your first port of call should be to contact the Priest or Deacon in your parish. That is the parish in which you or your fiancé/fiancée lives. He will explain to you the conditions and requirements to be married in the Catholic Church.

Please be aware that it is a requirement that six months’ notice be given before a wedding can take place in most cases. This is to enable appropriate preparation for the wedding and also some process of preparation for marriage.

If you wish your marriage to take place in a Catholic Church which is not your parish church your Parish Priest will again advise you as to how to go about this. 

Please note that there needs to be a good reason if you wish to be married outside your own church.

The Marriage and Family Life Team is responsible for initiating, fostering and supporting activities in the Southwark diocese that will help married couples to live out the Sacrament of Marriage.  Please contact the team at the Marriage and Family Life Commission.

If you are looking to baptise your child in one of our parishes your first port of call would be to arrange to meet the Priest or Deacon in your parish

  • Anyone can be baptised in the Catholic Church, as long as they (or their parents if they are aged under 7) can make the solemn profession of faith, and will promise to be part of the Catholic Church in the future.
  • In the case of a child, at least one parent must be a baptised Roman Catholic, proof of this may be required, and there should be some evidence that the child will be brought up as a member of the Catholic church
  • In the case of an adult it will take the form of being received into the Catholic church after undergoing some form of a RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) programme
  • A child/adult should be baptised in the parish where they live, and permission from your parish priest will be required for the Baptism to take place elsewhere.
  • A child/adult being baptised must have at least one practising Roman Catholic godparent.
  • A time of preparation must take place for a child or adult

If you are looking to have your young person Confirmed in one of our parishes your first port of call would be to arrange to meet the Priest of Deacon in your parish

  • They will arrange to have your young person enrolled in a parish Confirmation programme or prepare the young person themselves
  • Your young person must be in Year 8 or above or the Parish Priest will use his discretion
  • If an adult would like to be Confirmed they will also have to take a time of preparation either with an RCIA programme (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) or by the Priest of Deacon

A Priest or Deacon in your local parish will help you arrange a funeral. You should contact them as soon as possible.

The funeral director may do this on your behalf. If so, please make sure that you have informed the funeral director about the format of service you require.

When choosing any hymns, readings and other elements of the service, care should be taken that the words of any material are in keeping with our Catholic faith.

Please speak to your parish priest or contact the Southwark Metropolitan Tribunal Team.

The Tribunal can assist with processing applications for nullity of marriage relating to people in the Archdiocese of Southwark.

Judicial Vicar: Rev Father Gregory Verissimo

Email:jv@rcaos.org.uk

Southwark Metropolitan Tribunal
23 Tooting Bec Road
London SW17 8BS

Telephone 020 7960 2515/6/7/8

Discerning your vocation as a priest, deacon or religious is often a journey of gentle discovery, but can also be sudden and unexpected.  Which way the possibility presents itself, our experienced Vocations Team can assist you.

Visit our Vocations tab for more information or email Fr Paul Kyne, our Vocations Director, at vocations@rcaos.org.uk

Spiritual direction is a journey of faith in which another person can help to direct or guide your path. Please get in contact with the Southwark Spirituality Commission Team via our Mission Tab if you are interested in spiritual direction.

In addition, Aylesford Priory are running a spiritual direction training course and can be contacted via their Facebook Page.

There are lots of way to be involved and help your parish.  There are a number of suggestions on our How can I help my parish tab, but the best way forward in the first instance is to speak to your parish priest.

Our fundraising team have a variety of way in which you can support the mission of Southwark Diocese, whether you interested in donating towards the ecclesiastical education of our new priests, supporting our retired priests or would like to find out more about leaving a gift in your Will. Visit our Donate tab to find out more or email fundraising@rcaos.org.uk

It’s good to share positive news: if you have a great story or want to share special event, contact the Communications Department at dco@rcaos.org.uk

It has not been possible to undertake a diocesan pilgrimage abroad during the pandemic, but Southwark is pleased to recommend pilgrimage sites within Diocese.  Please visit the Augustine Camino website to explore the birthplace of English Christianity or the Southwark Shrines page.  We will publish further information about pilgrimages abroad as they become available.

 As we come out of the pandemic, we are able to publish more images of diocesan events.  Please visit the Flickr pages of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales and the Archdiocese of Southwark.