The information on this page is for individuals needing assistance locating their own sacramental records.
Please visit our Genealogy page for resources available for family research. 

Requesting a copy of your certificate

If you already know the parish where you received your sacrament, please contact the parish directly for a new certificate. 

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.

Requesting a search for your sacramental record

The Archives can search for your record if you do not know where you received a sacrament. 

Our staff manually search for records using microfilmed copies of registers. We do not conduct broad searches across all parishes and cannot begin a search without adequate information.

If we are able to locate your record, we will direct you to the appropriate parish to contact for a copy of your certificate. The Archives does not create certificates from microfilmed records. 

Please consult with your family and fill out as much information as possible on the Sacramental Record Search Request Form then email it to us. 

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

How it works:

• Staff use the information provided to narrow down the search based on location and time period. 
• Other sacraments (if received) can also help locate your record as they may have a note regarding the sacrament you're requesting.
• We only have records for sacraments that were received in a Roman Catholic parish within the boundaries of our Archdiocese.
• If we locate your record, we will direct you to the appropriate parish to contact for your certificate.

Please note that processing times will vary and search requests are handled in order of arrival.  

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 on sacramental records

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​​.