Church Admin Corner: Parish Records

Today, let’s talk about the importance of parish registers and the records contained therein.

Parishes need to keep five different registers. Four of these keep records for significant events, including baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and burials (which includes all funerals completed at the parish – not just burials), and the fifth is a record of services performed, including attendance numbers and officiant name. The best course of action is to update each register as the services take place. This ensures that the information is accurate and does not rely on a memory of an event to later record the information.

While it may seem excessive to fill out the parish registers, these registers are a vital resource of information for archivists, genealogists, and many other researchers. Additionally, some of these records can be used to prove identity, residency, or citizenship when official vital records are not available. In some cases, individuals may need proof of baptism or confirmation to attend a religious institution (such as a Catholic school) or may need such information to apply for employment at a religious institution. The vestry books (registers of services) are useful in determining parish attendance over long periods of time. These historical registers are also used to determine where clergy were posted over a given period of time or to determine when a particular clergy person was active at a particular parish.

So, if your registers are being neglected, take some time this month to get them updated and keep them updated going forward. Future generations will thank you for it!!