A church directory lists church officials, dioceses, and parishes. There are many genealogical uses for church directories. They:

• Provide a list of all the parishes in a diocese, so you can determine if your ancestor’s village had a parish church. Many directories list all villages belonging to a parish.
• Sometimes provide the earliest dates for which the church records of each parish exist.
• May include historical information about some parishes.
• Usually group parishes by clerical district, so you can easily determine all neighboring parishes.
• Provide the complete parish address as well as the address of the diocese headquarters and often the archives of the diocese where additional records may be kept.
• Include an index of priests, brethren, and deacons.
• Include an index of municipalities, states, and dioceses.
  

Catholic Church directories exist for each diocese in Brazil, combined into one Anuário Católico do Brasil (Catholic Yearbook of Brazil). Some information such as priests’ names and addresses may be out of date. The parish histories are still valid.

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

BRAZIL - CHURCH DIRECTORIESBRAZIL, [STATE], [CITY OF DIOCESE] - CHURCH DIRECTORIES