Question Regarding Church Documents

[BernadetteM]

I would greatly appreciate it if someone could tell me what I must do to get copies of the Confirmation certificates for all my family.

My life has been chaotic due to illness and I just can’t find the certificates. I am heart sick as they had the original signatures and seals on them.

Do I contact the churches where we were received or do I contact the diocese?

Thanks for any help.

Hope this is the right forum to post this.

In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette

 

[Joe_Kelley]

I would greatly appreciate it if someone could tell me what I must do to get copies of the Confirmation certificates for all my family.

My life has been chaotic due to illness and I just can’t find the certificates. I am heart sick as they had the original signatures and seals on them.

Do I contact the churches where we were received or do I contact the diocese?

Thanks for any help.

Hope this is the right forum to post this.

In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette

The certificates given out at the sacraments are usually just memorials. The official certificate is your baptismal certificate [the official one, not the pretty one they give out for framing], which may be obtained from the church where you were baptized. All your other sacraments are recorded on the back of that.

Note that the official record of Pope Benedict’s election as pope is recorded on the back of his baptismal certificate at some church in Germany.

 

[Spirithound]

Note that the official record of Pope Benedict’s election as pope is recorded on the back of his baptismal certificate at some church in Germany.

Woah, that’s intense! Who has the responsibility to write on that 80 year old document? eeps! Are there just free lines there, or is there a check box on mine too??
[v] Baptised
[v] Confirmed
] Ordained Deacon
] Ordained Priest
] Ordained Bishop
] Elected Pope

 

[tee_eff_em]

I would greatly appreciate it if someone could tell me what I must do to get copies of the Confirmation certificates for all my family.

My life has been chaotic due to illness and I just can’t find the certificates. I am heart sick as they had the original signatures and seals on them.

Do I contact the churches where we were received or do I contact the diocese?

Thanks for any help.

Hope this is the right forum to post this.

In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette

If you specifically want confirmation records: Yes, contact the parish where the sacrament was administered. (Tip: It will help them greatly if you know the actual or approximate date)

The same goes for any sacramental record.

tee

 

[Phemie]

The certificates given out at the sacraments are usually just memorials. The official certificate is your baptismal certificate [the official one, not the pretty one they give out for framing], which may be obtained from the church where you were baptized. All your other sacraments are recorded on the back of that.

Note that the official record of Pope Benedict’s election as pope is recorded on the back of his baptismal certificate at some church in Germany.

Not unless he’s had a baptismal certificate issued in recent years. It is no doubt recorded in an old parish Register of Baptism at some church in Germany.

Everyone who has mentioned these notations here says “On the back of the certificate” because that’s the type of certificate their parish uses. The ones I use have all the notations on the front.

 

[NewUlm1976_2000]

If you specifically want confirmation records: Yes, contact the parish where the sacrament was administered. (Tip: It will help them greatly if you know the actual or approximate date)

The same goes for any sacramental record.

tee

And if the parish does not exist anymore (e.g. closed, merged, turned into an oratory), contact the diocese for the records.

 

[BernadetteM]

Thank you all for your (name removed by moderator)ut. I prayed to St Anthony and thanks to Jesus and St. Anthony I finally found them. Such a relief!

I am trying get rid of years of paperwork and somehow the papers got mixed up with other papers.

Again thanks so much for the advice.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette

 

[Phemie]

Thank you all for your (name removed by moderator)ut. I prayed to St Anthony and thanks to Jesus and St. Anthony I finally found them. Such a relief!

I am trying get rid of years of paperwork and somehow the papers got mixed up with other papers.

Again thanks so much for the advice.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette

If ever you need them again just contact the parish where each person was baptized. Even if they were confirmed elsewhere, if everyone did their job correctly the baptismal parish would have been notified of the confirmation and noted it in the baptismal record.

 

[tee_eff_em]

If ever you need them again just contact the parish where each person was baptized. Even if they were confirmed elsewhere, if everyone did their job correctly the baptismal parish would have been notified of the confirmation and noted it in the baptismal record.

True (and it sounds like in this case the desire was likely senimental). But sometimes you can be asked to produce certifications of the individual sacraments, in which case they will come from the parish(es) where they were conferred. (I was asked to produce them for my sacraments of initiation and my marriage when I applied to diaconal formation. I collected them, but didn’t get into the program. (And: Yes, I thought it was odd to request all of them, but who am I to argue with the diocese?))

tee

 

[puzzleannie]

If you specifically want confirmation records: Yes, contact the parish where the sacrament was administered. (Tip: It will help them greatly if you know the actual or approximate date)

The same goes for any sacramental record.

tee

the best policy is to contact your baptismal parish for a new proof of baptism and all other sacraments received, which you must do in any case if you are planning to be married, ordained or enter religious life.