Ethan Walker
The Catholic Church has some of the oldest and best-preserved family records, with clergy recording names and dates associated with major life events long before governments started keeping civil records. These records, which include confirmation, are held by the church where the sacrament was administered. They are usually available from the parish where the confirmation took place, but some dioceses also offer central archives that can assist in locating records. The records are often in Latin and may be in the native language, or both within the same register. Many Catholic records are now being digitised and made available online.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Location | Confirmation records are held by the church where the sacrament was administered. |
| Format | Catholic records can be in the form of baptismal, confirmation, marriage, and burial records. |
| Language | Many Catholic records are in Latin, but some are in the native language or both. |
| Online Availability | The Catholic Heritage Archive is bringing millions of church records online for the first time, including records from dioceses in the US and Scotland. |
| Donation | It is considered polite to send a donation of $25 or more to the parish, diocese, or archdiocese that provides your certificate. |
| Contact Information | To obtain a record, contact the parish where the sacrament was conferred. If the parish is unknown, write to the Vicar General's Office at the archdiocese. |
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What You'll Learn
Contact the parish where confirmation took place
Confirmation records are only available from the parish where the sacrament was celebrated. If you are trying to obtain records from your confirmation, you should contact the parish where the confirmation took place.
For example, if you were confirmed at St. Vibiana's Parish in Los Angeles, you should contact the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, as the records were moved there after St. Vibiana's closed due to earthquake damage. You can request confirmation records by sending a written request to the parish's address or by emailing them.
If you were confirmed on a U.S. military base, your confirmation records should be available from the Military Archdiocese. You can send a request to the Military Archdiocese by postal mail, fax, or online.
If you are unsure of where your confirmation took place, you can try contacting the parish where you were baptised, as they may be able to direct you to the correct parish. You can also try contacting your local diocese or archdiocese for assistance. It is considered polite to send a donation to the parish, diocese, or archdiocese that provides you with your confirmation certificate to help cover the expenses of searching for and mailing the certificate.
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Seek digitised Catholic church records
The Catholic Church has some of the oldest and best-preserved family records. Traditionally, these records have been kept locked away, but digitisation projects are now bringing millions of Catholic Church records online.
One such project is the Catholic Heritage Archive, which is bringing millions of church records online for the first time. The Archive includes church records from the dioceses of Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Plymouth, Salford, Southwark, Westminster, Aberdeen, Argyll & The Isles, Dunkeld, Galloway, Glasgow, Motherwell, Paisley, and St Andrews & Edinburgh.
The Catholic Heritage Archive holds original church registers of baptisms, marriages, burials, communions, confirmations, and more. These records can be essential in growing your family tree and uncovering details of your ancestors' most important milestones.
To access digitised Catholic Church records, you can visit websites such as Findmypast, Ancestry, and LA Catholics. These websites provide access to various Catholic Church records, including confirmation records. When searching for confirmation records, it is important to note that these are usually only available from the parish where the sacrament was celebrated.
In addition to online resources, you may also want to try contacting the relevant parish, diocese, or archdiocese directly to request information. It is considered polite to send a donation to the entity providing the certificate to help recover expenses.
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Find records using genealogy websites
Genealogy websites are a great resource for finding Catholic confirmation records. Websites such as Findmypast, Ancestry.com, and FamilySearch offer access to a wealth of Catholic church records that can be used for genealogical research. These websites often provide digitised copies of original church registers, including confirmation records, that can be searched and explored online.
For example, Findmypast offers over 10 million Catholic family records from Ireland, covering every county and over 1,000 parishes. They also provide access to church records from English dioceses, such as Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and Westminster, as well as the Catholic Heritage Archive, which includes Scottish church records from all eight Scottish dioceses.
Ancestry.com also offers a collection of Catholic records, including baptism, confirmation, marriage, and burial records from thousands of parishes worldwide. They provide access to many Catholic parish registers from across the globe, making it a valuable resource for those seeking confirmation records.
FamilySearch is another useful website, offering a database of French Catholic parish records from the United States, covering states like Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, and New York. While some records are not yet searchable by name, knowing the specific parish and rough years can help locate the desired information.
When searching for Catholic confirmation records on genealogy websites, it is important to note that the records may be organised by parish or diocese. In some cases, records may be centralised or kept in a diocesan archive, especially if the parish has closed. Additionally, policies regarding access to sacramental records may vary among dioceses. Therefore, it is advisable to check the policies and procedures of the specific website and diocese in question.
Overall, genealogy websites provide a valuable resource for individuals seeking Catholic confirmation records, allowing them to explore their family's religious heritage and uncover important milestones in their ancestors' lives.
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Identify the officiant and witnesses
Confirmation records are important in the life of a Catholic. The maintenance of parish sacramental registers is critical, and there are protocols to follow to ensure accurate record-keeping. Parishes keep records of confirmation, and each parish begins its sacramental registry at its founding. For example, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception has records that date back to the 1830s.
If you are looking for your Catholic confirmation records, you must first identify the parish where the confirmation took place. You can then submit a request to that parish for your sacramental records. It is also possible to contact the Archdiocese for Military Services by mail, fax, or online to request sacramental records. However, it is important to note that sacramental certificates are only available from the parish where the sacrament was celebrated and received.
When searching for confirmation records, it is important to identify the officiant and witnesses present at the ceremony. The officiant is the priest or other authorized individual who performed the confirmation ritual. In the case of Catholic confirmation records, the name of the officiant may be recorded under a Latin term such as "Nomen Parochivel Vicarii". Witnesses, on the other hand, are typically family members or close friends who were present to attest to the confirmation. Their names may be listed under the Latin term "Testes Adfuerant".
If you are having difficulty locating your confirmation records or identifying the officiant and witnesses, you can seek assistance from the diocese. Some dioceses offer central archives that can help in locating records, especially if you are unable to access the parish directly due to distance or other issues. Additionally, the diocese may be able to help you identify the officiant and witnesses associated with your confirmation.
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Request certificates from the parish
Confirmation records are usually held by the church where the sacrament was administered. If you are requesting a certificate from a closed parish, you may need to contact the Office of Archives and Records. For example, in St. Louis, Missouri, the Office of Archives and Records only issues certificates from closed parishes. In this case, you would need to fill out a form and send it to them.
If you require a sacramental certificate from an open, active parish, you should contact that parish directly to obtain your certificate. You can find contact information in the Parish Directory. If you are unsure whether the parish is open or closed, you can refer to the list of closed parishes.
Some parishes may require a formal request form to be filled out to process the retrieval of sacramental records. You may be asked to provide specific details to locate the record, such as your full name, your parents' names, and the date of your confirmation. There may be a small administrative fee associated with the retrieval and processing of confirmation records. This fee varies from parish to parish.
Once the request is processed, the certificate can be mailed to the requester or picked up from the parish office. Depending on the parish’s practices, this might take anywhere from a few days to several weeks.
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Frequently asked questions
You can obtain your confirmation records by contacting the parish where the sacrament was conferred. If you don't know which parish it was, you can write to the Vicar General's Office at the Archdiocese. You can also try searching online databases such as Findmypast, which has a Catholic Heritage Archive with church records from several dioceses.
You will need to provide accurate information about the sacrament, such as the date and location. If you are unable to access the parish directly, some dioceses offer central archives that can help locate records.
Many Catholic records are in Latin. Online resources such as Latin genealogy terms can help you navigate these records.
It is possible that the church you were confirmed in does not have your confirmation name on file. You may need to contact the parish where you were baptized, as they may have a notation that you received the sacrament of confirmation.
