I am very glad to have helped people by publicising the plenary indulgence that is offered on the anniversary of one's baptism. Some people are not sure of the date of their Baptism and might like to find out. Here is some advice on how to do so.
Every parish keeps a permanent register of Baptisms. This is one of the most important things that the parish possesses. If things are done properly, your confirmation should also be recorded and also your marriage (or religious profession, or ordination.)
A "Baptism Certificate" is a copy of the entry that is made in the Baptismal register. If you are getting married, you need to supply a recent baptismal certificate (within six months of the wedding) which will then also record that there are "no other entries" (i.e. no previous marriage recorded) and that you are "free to marry". I always send for these myself but some priests ask the Catholic party(ies) in the wedding to obtain them. It is also OK to ask for a Baptismal certificate if you just want to know when your baptism was.
If you want to get a certificate of Baptism, send a letter addressed to the parish priest of the parish where you were baptised. Give your full name (as it was at the time of your baptism if your name has subsequently changed.) Give your date of birth and roughly when the Baptism took place. If you were baptised as a baby it is sufficient to say this but if you were baptised at three or four years old, it will help the parish priest if you tell him this; and enclose a stamped addressed envelope just to make things a little easier!
My own practice now is to photocopy the entry onto parish letterhead and then sign date and stamp it.
10 comments:
Father, do you give parents a baptismal certificate immediately(ish) following the baptism of a child? We were given one after each of our first two, then in our new parish, the pp seemed a little taken aback when, several months after the twins' baptism, I asked for one. Now that Quinta has been baptised, there is, again, no certificate forthcoming and am wondering whether or not to ask for one again. I appreciate that it's perhaps not sufficient for 'proof' when getting married etc, as the cert. needs to be <6 months old but it's good, surely for the individual to have a record of the date? Please advise.
Unfortunately not all parishes are as diligent as they should be about their baptismal registers. Some years ago, while on holiday from seminary and looking for something useful to do, I approached one of the priests in my parish and asked if there was anything I could do to help out around the church. He asked what my handwriting was like and when I showed him what a neat hand I had (no longer, alas, thanks to computers) he said I could help by updating the baptismal register. What a task that was! There were cards intimating confirmations and marriages from other parishes at home and abroad going back five years!
Thanks Fr. F. I was thinking of doing this myself a little while before you mentioned the topic. I'd also like to know the exact date of my confirmation. Is it best to write to that church separately? Or if the 2nd church did its job will church #1 have that included "automatically" when they send a copy?
We get copies of our children's certificates from the Oratory in Latin & full stamp.
I needed a certificate of baptism when I joined the Church two years ago, but it had been about fifteen years since my baptism and my old Protestant church had lost the record of it! It wasn't nearly so important in that denomination; we'd believed that baptism is only a symbol.
Thank you Father. This may remind clergy that this is an important administrative task for them which, rather like brushing one's teeth, is little joy in itself but may save much pain later.
For adopted children this is of course much more sensitive and perhaps bishops may consider their responsibilities after the sad demise of the Catholic adoption agencies.
Father,
After the renewal of the baptismal vows, are there any prayers needed? Prayer for the intentions of the Pope, Apostles Creed, etc?
Thanks very much.
I was astonished how easy it was to get hold not only of my own baptismal and confirmation certificates, but the birth, marriage, baptism and death certificates of nearly all my immediate English relatives when I was applying for my British passport. I just called them up, mailed in a postal order in Sterling for the fee and they just sent it all right along. No worries about confirming that I was entitled in any way to the information.
It occurred to me that a small amount of research and the paying of relatively modest fees could result in the creation of an entire new identity.
I thought perhaps my writing style would still be recognised though.
In reply to various:
I always give certificates but not all parishes do. I find that it saves time later on since parents usually need to have one for their school application.
Yep, parishes do need to be vigilant about this - administration is also pastoral.
Notification of Confirmation sometimes gets forgotten so if it is not on the baptismal certificate, you need to write to the Church of Confirmation.
Always for a plenary indulgence, you need to pray for the Pope's intentions - prayers of your own choice but an our Father and Credo is fine.
The Church of England has standard fees but not the Catholic Church. I never charge.
Protestant baptism - you need to be reasonably sure that the baptism was carried out by pouring water (or immersion) "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." This is presumed for a number of Churches who have signed up to saying that this is their practice.
If unsure, the priest can do a conditional baptism.
If you are one of the unlucky that had the Church they were baptized in closed or merged with another parish, you will most likely need to call the Diocesen archives to determine which parish or if the archives are holding your baptismal certificate.
I mention this because we needed to get my grandmother's baptismal certificate as proof of birth, and the parish she was baptized in was closed, the parish the records were moved to was later closed and it took a while to find them.
On a related note, make sure Father knows exactly what the child's name is and how to spell it. One thing that made finding my grandmother's baptismal certificate difficult to find was the wrong name was in the register...
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