Australia Church Directories

Church directories list names and addresses of church officials, dioceses, and parishes. There are many genealogical uses for church directories: They list all the parishes in a diocese so you can determine if your ancestor’s town had a parish church. Many directories list all towns belonging to a parish, and most are for specific denominations.

The Family History Library does not have copies of all directories. It does have directories for the Roman Catholic and Lutheran Churches. Some information, such as the priest’s name, may be out of date. The addresses and parish histories are still valid.

Church directories are listed in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

AUSTRALIA - CHURCH DIRECTORIES

AUSTRALIA, [STATE], [TOWN] - CHURCH DIRECTORIES

The Family History Library has the following directory to help you determine the diocese of the Roman Catholic parishes:

Australian Episcopal Conference. ''The Official Directory of the Catholic Church in Australia and New Zealand. ''Sydney, Australia: E. J. Dwyer, 1985. (Family History Library Call Number  994 K24c.)

The Family History Library also has the following directory for the Lutheran Church:

Wiebusch, E.W. ''Yearbook of the Lutheran Church in Australia. ''Adelaide, Australia: Lutheran Publishing House, 1973. (Family History Library Call Number 994 K25y 1984.)

More current directories and directories of other denominations may be available at genealogical societies, archives, or libraries. For addresses, see the "Societies" and "Archives and Libraries" sections of this outline.