Digitizing Sacramental Records Project

Digitizing Sacramental Records Project

The Archdiocese of Baltimore has initiated a project to digitize its sacramental registers in a public/private partnership with the leading family history website FindMyPast at https://www.findmypast.com/.

The goals of the project are two-fold:

• To create preservation copies of the sacramental registers maintained by the Archdiocese’s parishes and institutions in
  accordance with canon law; and
•  To participate in the Catholic Heritage Archive (https://www.findmypast.com/catholicrecords) created and maintained by FindMyPast.

This project will make available to family historians the digitized records of collaborating dioceses in the United States, Britain, and Ireland that are one hundred years and older.

For more information see the FAQs.

Summary of Process

1. The Chancery contacts the Parish, letting the Pastor know that the sacramental registers will need to be delivered or arrangements made for pick up in one month or less to be digitized. The Chancery will also request the Parish to fill out the Inventory form and return within two weeks.
2. Within the following two weeks, the Pastor, or the person responsible for the sacramental registers, fills out the Inventory form and sends a copy to the Chancery (using email or fax).
3. In the announced date, one month or less after the first contact, the sacramental registers are delivered or picked up to be digitized. For more information on how to prepare the books see the FAQs.
4. When the books are digitized, as soon as possible, the Chancery office contacts the Parish to inform that the active sacramental registers will be delivered or picked up. The parish will be informed at this time if any registers need to be sent to the bindery for repair. The inventory form will also be amended to reflect which registers are being returned to the parish and which ones will remain at the archives. The sacramental registers that are closed are not returning to the parish and will be housed at the Archives.
5. For the detailed process please see the FAQs.

Tentative Schedule (subject to change)

The project will start on September 19, 2018 at the Archives for the Archdiocese of Baltimore located at St. Mary’s Seminary (5400 Roland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21210).

The order of parish records to be digitized will be as follows:

1. Parishes in Anne Arundel County
2. Parishes in Harford County
3. Parishes in Baltimore County
4. Parishes in Howard County
5. Parishes in Carroll County
6. Parishes in Frederick County
7. Parishes in Washington County
8. Parishes in Garrett County
9. Allegany County
10. Parishes in Baltimore City

Contacts

Chancery Office

Leonor Castel-Branco

Email: chancery@archbalt.org
Phone: 410-547-5446

Fax: 410-727-5432
Address: 320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

 

Associated Archives

Tricia T. Pyne, Ph.D., Director
Email: tpyne@stmarys.edu
Phone: 410-864-3691
Address: 5400 Roland Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21210