Getting your Sacramental Record

If you KNOW which parish administered the sacrament, please contact the parish directly.
Certificates are created from original register books that, in most cases, are still held by the parish. 

If you DO NOT KNOW the parish where the sacrament took place, please read the information below on how to request a search for your record from the Archives:

How does the search for a sacramental record work? 

Our staff use microfilmed copies of parish registers to search for your record. With over 200 parishes in our Archdiocese, we cannot search every microfilm reel for your record. 

You must provide information to help us narrow down the search for your record. 

Please consult with your parents or someone who was present at the sacrament, and fill out as much information as possible on the Sacramental Record Search Request Form, and email it to us.

Please note we only have records for sacraments that were received in a Roman Catholic parish within the boundaries of our Archdiocese.

If we are able to locate your record, we will direct you to the appropriate parish to contact for a copy of your certificate. Please allow 2-3 business days for a reply.

The Archives does not create certificates from microfilmed records. 

Who can request information regarding a sacramental record?

Under Ontario privacy legislation and our archdiocesan ​privacy policy, information about a sacramental record will only be released:

• To the person whose name appears in the record
• OR to the parent or legal guardian of an individual under 18 years old
• OR if there has been prior authorization for the release of this information

Certificates are not issued for genealogical purposes. If you are seeking a sacramental record for your family history, please visit our Genealogy page for more information.

Additional Information by Type of Request

Baptism

If you are seeking to amend your government records and the Office of the Registrar General has requested a photocopy of the baptismal register, please contact us before contacting the parish.

First Communion & Confirmation 

​Past recordkeeping traditions regarding these sacraments have not been consistent throughout the Archdiocese. It is not unusual for parishes to have no record of your First Communion or Confirmation.

Elementary Schools do not maintain First Communion and Confirmation Records.

Marriage

​Please note that the official record of a marriage is the Government of Ontario record, which is held by the Office of the Registrar General.

If you are seeking a marriage record to provide evidence for a government form, we will only conduct the search if the Government office has told you that your church records will be acceptable. Otherwise, please request your marriage certificate online through the ServiceOntario website​, or contact the Office of the Registrar General​.​

​Death & Burial

Death and burial are not sacraments and are therefore not formally recorded by all parishes. In Ontario, official death records are kept by the Office of the Registrar General.

If you are looking for a burial, and you know that the individual was buried in a Catholic cemetery in the Archdiocese of Toronto, please contact Catholic ​​Cemeteries ​& Funeral Services – Archdiocese of Toronto​​.