Why do you need a recent copy of your baptismal certificate?

[Casilda]

It’s not “worthless”, it just isn’t able to be used for the purposes for which you wished it to be.

It may have been ‘moot’ in your case, but that’s one of the reasons it’s requested. Are you saying that your marriage was a Church marriage, but it was nevertheless not recorded? That’s a failure on the part of either the parish where you were married or the parish where your records are kept.

I was taught that the extract had to have been issued within six months of the date of the wedding prep meeting between the couple and the priest/deacon who would be performing the validation. Certainly, if we’re talking about a period of time greater than six months, then that’s sufficient time for another marriage to have taken place in the meantime. Without asking for a recent extract, your priest/deacon might be at risk of marrying a person who was not free to marry.

I’ve heard it the other way around: it’s not so much who asks for it as it is who receives it. Some priests prefer that it be sent directly to them at their parish office.

The church office staff at 4 parishes didnt inform me I needed a certified or updated copy, hence why it took me a year to finally obtain one, after searching for the original and futile attempts of calling and writing the parish of record for ‘a copy’. Laughs on me.

The point I am trying to make and why I tell everyone asking these questions here, is to forgo talking to office staff, make an appointment to speak with a priest directly to avoid the lack of correct information. I want them restored without the misinformation, the rigmarole, without having to wait for that return call that never happens, and to be informed of the correct process by the priest directly.

 

[MissRose73]

Our diocese required we give a copy of our baptismal certificate as part of the process for diocesan certification for liturgical ministry. I had copies of that one plus my 1st Communion and Confirmation also that were required as all those who wish to lector and/or be EMHCs must be at least 16 years old and fully initiated into the church. The pastoral admin made copies for the file for our certifications with the proof we attended the required classes held at the parish for our commissioning to take place soon.

 

[Phemie]

When I requested my records from my baptismal parish, the notation on it was that I was confirmed there. I remembered that I was confirmed in a different parish than my baptism. I requested a confirmation record from that parish and received it. I still do not know if the baptismal parish record keeper made a mistake transcribing to a certificate, or if the confirmation record is wrong in their book.

It’s conceivable that a person receives baptism, confirmation or profession of faith, matrimony or convalidation or holy orders or perpetual profession in religious institute, change of ritual church or , all in different parishes, and that notifications are not sent to the baptismal parish or that those are not properly noted there.

From the canon law I see that there are four mandatory registers for a parish (or equivalent, such as a mission): Baptismal, Confirmation, Marriage, and Death.

There are episcopal records also for ordination.

I read in one publication that optional registers are for first communion and sick calls and rituals (e.g. Book of the Elect).

In addition to the mandatory four you listed above we have a First Communion register and we have a Book of the Elect - so far there is only one name in it. We also have a register where the Mass requests/stipends are recorded.

I’ve never seen a register for sick calls. Father would keep that information in his personal agenda/date book and it would not be part of the parish records.

 

[Gorgias]

Our diocese required we give a copy of our baptismal certificate as part of the process for diocesan certification for liturgical ministry. I had copies of that one plus my 1st Communion and Confirmation also that were required as all those who wish to lector and/or be EMHCs must be at least 16 years old and fully initiated into the church.

That makes sense, if what they thought they were asking was “are you a fully-initiated Catholic?”.

(In fact, though, if you are ministering in a visible way, and you’re married (or previously married), then they might well have asked for documentation that you’re either married in the Church or free to marry…)

 

[Elizium23]

In addition to the mandatory four you listed above we have a First Communion register and we have a Book of the Elect - so far there is only one name in it. We also have a register where the Mass requests/stipends are recorded.

I’ve never seen a register for sick calls. Father would keep that information in his personal agenda/date book and it would not be part of the parish records.

We also have First Communion and Books of the Elect, from several different years with quite a few names in them.

My parish had old registers for sick calls, but we never used them. Likewise, our priests kept that in their personal agendas.