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ivecomeback
Guest
How do you find your baptismal certificate if your parents are deceased, all older relatives are also deceased, and you do not know the church?
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Spirithound
Guest
I would start with the parish nearest your family’s home, and work outward from there.
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graceandglory
Guest
Do you know the Archdiocese? The Catholic Church I was baptized in is no longer in existence. All the baptismal records were sent to the Archdiocesan office.
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adrift
Guest
The diocesan office might have it or be able to direct you.
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The_Professor
Guest
Do you have any photos? If a search proves futile (which is unlikely), photos or other evidence can sometimes be used as proof of baptism if you are seeking other sacraments and the original records are lost.
Also, be prepared with as much information on your end as possible (i.e. the year of the baptism, parents’ names, etc.). It will make the search that much easier.
Also, be prepared with as much information on your end as possible (i.e. the year of the baptism, parents’ names, etc.). It will make the search that much easier.
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TrueLight
Guest
On a related note, does the archdiocese have the name of all the priests that ever worked at different parishes under its jurisdiction? Is there a central place which this sort of thing was kept before the age of computers?
I have a name of the “Reverend” and possibly the archdiocese, but have no idea of the local parish.
Does Rome have some sort of master record if all the records in the archdiocese were destroyed due to natural disasters?
I have a name of the “Reverend” and possibly the archdiocese, but have no idea of the local parish.
Does Rome have some sort of master record if all the records in the archdiocese were destroyed due to natural disasters?
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adrift
Guest
I don’t know if all diocese have the same thing but in one diocese I consulted they have an archive. I found my mother’s high school grades from the 1930’s. It would surprise me if they didn’t have records of priest that have served in the diocese.
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Phemie
Guest
Archdiocese, or diocese? A diocese would have a record of all the priests who served and in which parish they served. If you have a priest’s name, a town and a date on the document you hold, your best bet would be to call the diocese in which this town is located and see if they can guide you. At the least they should be able to tell you which parish the priest was serving at that time which would help you further your research.
Unless the parish belonged to the Archdiocese, rather than a diocese, I doubt that you’d find help there. If the parish has closed the registers would have gone to the diocese or archdiocese depending on which the parish belonged to. Depending on your age, there is also the possibility that duplicates of the parish registers were sent to the diocesan archives each year. Since one parish’s registers were destroyed in a fire 30 years ago, my diocese requires that photocopies of all register entries for the year be forwarded to diocesan archives at the end of each year.
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puzzleannie
Guest
no Rome does not have a master record, but the diocese has records of every priest and where he served, and the records of parishes that have been closed. If parishes were merged the old records are with the new parish. In the US at least each diocese does preservation microfilm of all sacramental records from time to time so most have all of them in vaults, but searching can be time consuming. You might call the diocesan archivist for help in how to search. Get your birthday and place of birth, parents full names including mother’s maiden name, name of godparents if you know them, where they were residing at the time, and any other info you have–priest’s name, photos etc.
If your parents were in active military service or migrants at the time of your baptism, it might be in Washington, depending on the time frame. Diocesan archivist can help you search.
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TrueLight
Guest
Oops! I guess I didn’t know the difference at the time I posted this.
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puzzleannie
Guest
It does not make a difference for your purpose despite what previous posters have said. Contact the diocese closest to where you were born or where your parents resided at that time and begin your search there. Dioceses change, merge, and expand to new dioceses as well.Oops! I guess I didn’t know the difference at the time I posted this.
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ivecomeback
Guest
By the way, it was found by a very kind secretary. We had the name of the Catholic school he attended, and were able to get to the bottom of it that way. Thanks for everyone’s help.
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