Updated Baptism Certificate

Shan1214

Has anyone had any problems obtaining an updated baptism certificate?  I am being told that the reason for this is to prove that neither of us have been married before. My fiance called the church he was baptised at and they are saying that they cannot provide that because they have no way of knowing if he was married before (which he wasn't).  I called the church where we are having the ceremony at and explained but  they made me think that this is a requirement.  She is having the priest give me a call back.  I knew this was a requirement, but didn't think this would be a problem because he was baptised and never married.  I called the church I was baptised at yesterday and they said I can pick it up today. I am freaking out over here!! 

PeteandJen

We had to do it for both of us as well. Our priest told us it is a requirement to make sure we both made our communions and confirmations, not that we were never married before.

It was frustrating to get for me as well, because I was baptised at one church then we moved, and I made my confirmation and communion at the church we are getting married at, and they still required I contact the old church for the updated certificate with the notes from my current church.

gymchick05

H was born in IL and I called his church a million times and they never called me back or ever answered so we told the church this and they ended up being OK with him just showing his orginal bapism certificate. Im Catholic and hes Lutheran so I dont know if that made a difference but I explained it to the priest and he was understanding about it (and we have a strict priest) so maybe talking to them in person or having the priest/church call the other one would help.

shoebie

It was a major pain in the ass for us! took me 2 months to get fi's all churches require a new raised seal copy 3 months prior to your wedding. It does not have to state you are not married you just need to get a new copy with a raised seal. 

cindyn9178

The baptism certificate is not to show you weren't married before.. it is to show you were baptized Catholic. I just called my church and asked them to mail me a copy, and they did. No questions asked. You might be confusing them if you are telling them it is needed to prove he wasn't married before. Also, not sure what an "updated" certificate means.... you just need a copy of the certificate.

kristen8040

That's weird, I never heard of an updated baptism certificate.  Our priest just asked us for the certificates and we gave him the originals and he made copies and kept those.

Shan1214

Thanks for all of the replies.  Hopefully the two churches can talk and work it out.  I found this online and this it goes along with what my church is telling me:

Throughout the life of a Catholic, whenever an event takes place which affectshis or her status in the church, the parish of Baptism is notified and thebaptismal record is updated. If a Catholic celebrates the sacrament ofConfirmation, is married in the church, has a marriage annulled in the church,is ordained, or enters a religious community, a notation is made in thebaptismal record. Therefore, the original baptismal certificate will most likelybecome outdated at certain times. An accurate, updated baptismal certificatecan always be obtained by contacting the parish of Baptism.

So... basically if my fiance ever was married in a catholic church in the past, it would be noted on his baptism certificate. 

tropicalpalmleaf

By "updated" they mean listing of the sacraments on your record. It should list your communion, confirmation and any marriages that took place. Generally the church where the sacrament took place will notify the church where the baptism took place. When I got my record I had my confirmation listed but not my communion!

cindyn9178

ok, that sounds like an updated record/list of what sacraments you've received..not your atual baptism certificate - since that only applies to your baptism. If I remember correctly, the thing my church sent me listed what sacraments I had made at that church and an official seal, I guess to show it was legit. . I had made my confirmation at a different church, so it wasn't on that list, and that wasn't a problem - I never needed to show proof of confirmation.

tropicalpalmleaf

^^ yes, but for some reason they still call it a baptismal record even though it is listing sacraments.

cindyn9178

Baptismal record kind of makes sense.. not baptism certificate as this post says...

odonnellalys

I couldn't find mine, so I had to obtain a new one from the church that I was baptized. No problems, only some updates on the back (sacraments, etc., which they did not have record from my current church of). I told the church secretary and those dates were sent over immediately. I agree with the PPs - if you're having trouble with this, talk to the priest/deacon that his marrying you. I thought that I had to do all the leg work, but my priest told me that he could have had that all done for me.....I had no clue. So it can't hurt to ask! :-)