Some people wonder why we request hard copies of baptismal certificates from our students during sacramental years. And in recent years, more are requiring baptism certificates for children in all grades. If you are wondering, too, here is an explanation:
In short, there are many instances in which we encounter incongruities and misinformation by otherwise well-itended parishioners which ends in confusion for many families. We do store some basic information electronically, however, within the Catholic Church, a baptism certificate is considered a legal document, used to verify the sacraments as well as the identity of a person - kind of like a driver’s license or a passport. When the church of baptism (a person’s “church of record”) completes a certificate and places a seal on the certificate, they are verifying and documenting that the information is correct – it is then handwritten in a log book (chronologically by date of baptism).
When an additional sacrament is completed, notification is always sent back to the original "church of record." There it is handwritten on the same line as the baptism record. Prior to the sacraments of marriage and holy orders, a person will need to request a “new” copy with all of the sacraments noted on the certificate. The log books with this information are all kept in our vault because they are so important.
When parishes require a recent copy a certificate of batism, they mean dated within the last six months. They want to see the very latest notations that may have been made on the record. That’s why it’s so important to keep it updated.
Lastly, a parent or legal guardian is the only one who can request a copy of a certificate for their minor child - the child cannot. After a child turns 18, he/she must request his/her own certificate. In such a case, the document must be specifically requested, with detailed information to our sacramental coordinator, Yvonne Saldaña.
Our Saint Mary Cathedral parish is a community that celebrates
the Holy Sacraments of Christ
which are visibile signs of God's grace
that make a deeper reality present to us.
We have 18 opportunities to attend Mass and seven scheduled times for Reconciliation weekly.
We invite everyone to join us in worshipping God through the sacraments.