Requests for genealogical records are accepted via postal mail only.  We do not accept genealogical requests by telephone, fax or electronic mail. The fee for research must be received prior to issuance of the record.

• The ordinary request for a sacramental record from church parish to church parish or from a diocesan office (e.g. Tribunal, Chancellor’s Office) presents no problem.  The record is mailed directly to the church *parish or diocesan office, without requiring a signed release.

• While certificates of older records (more than 70 years old) are available to the general public; the sacramental registers are not open to examination by anyone except authorized church *parish or chancery personnel, as these records may contain confidential information.

• Sacramental records are private in that they are created in circumstances presumed to be personal and confidential, and are not available for public viewing.  They are public in that, legally, they will stand as valid, authentic evidence when an appropriate civil record does not exist

* Parishes may provide certificates for non-sacramental purposes to genealogists/researchers if time permits but may also elect to refer them to the Diocesan Archives. However, this does not mean that church parish Sacramental Registers are available for public viewing.

• Access to records of Baptism shall coincide with access to Federal Census records (current year minus 70 years).  Records less than 70 years old are sealed to the public. 

• Great care should be taken not to give records indiscriminately to persons who have no legitimate right to them.  If the person requesting the record is unable to provide proof of identity at that time or if he or she lives in another city or state, the certificate can be mailed to that person’s parish, where he or she will be asked for proof of identity before receiving the certificate.

• Individuals who have legal access to Baptismal records less than 70 years old include:

  • The person named in the record (if over age 18 or an emancipated minor).

  • A parent or legal guardian of the person named in the record (if the person is under age 18 or incapacitated).

  • Other parties as designated in writing by person named in the record.

  • If person is deceased, their children or heirs may have access to the records after supplying the Archives with documented proof of kinship.

• Other parties as designated or permitted by court order, subpoena, summons, or State or Federal statute.

• In the case of sacramental records that may concern an adoption, the Archives cannot reveal the names of the natural/biological parents.  No certificate issued by either the Archives or any individual parish will contain this information.  The Diocese adheres to state guidelines that give priority to the privacy rights of the natural parents.

We do not research general family lines. The staff conducts specific searches only and, when possible, issues documentation of the information listed on an entry for a specific record.

Each request should contain as much known information as possible; including:

• Listing the complete name(s) of the person(s) to be researched whenever possible.

• Designate specific sacramental record(s) to be searched (ex., baptism or marriage).

• Provide the approximate date(s) for the person(s) to be researched.

• Provide the name of the town, parish, or region of the diocese where the person(s) resided.

• Any additional information such as parents’ names, birth date of first child, place of residence,  the name of the priest officiating at the sacramental ceremony can be very helpful when an exact date or specific Parish church is not known.

• Copies of certificates for genealogy purposes is $10.00 per record. This fee is non-negotiable, and must be paid prior to any research, and whether or not specific documents are discovered.  Research fees are still applied if the documents you are searching for are not in our records.

• Please allow 2 to 4 weeks for all research and documentation to be returned to you.

• Note: Some of our older records (mainly prior to 1910) are written in French, and are sometimes illegible.  Although we  do our best to translate these records, our efforts do not always prove fruitful through no fault of our own.