Request a Record

Sacramental registers are the official record of Catholic baptism, first communion, confirmation, marriage, and death. We hold registers recorded by pioneer-era priests (1840s-1900), early registers of the Proto-Cathedral of St. James in Vancouver, Washington (1838-1890), and 19th and 20th century registers from some, but not all, churches and institutions within the Archdiocese of Seattle.

Sacramental records are considered private in nature (Canon 535), and access is limited to protect their confidentiality. Policies governing access to the records in our care are available here.

Where is my record?

The Archives has a limited number of sacramental records, and most remain in the churches where they were recorded. Parishes do not send duplicates or backups to the Archives. Closed registers are transferred to the Archives at the discretion of our parishes. Before submitting a request, please search the inventory of sacramental registers in our collection.

If the register containing your record is not in the Archives, contact the church where the sacrament took place using our parish finder.

Not sure which parish to contact? We can help. Contact us at  archives@seattlearch.org or (206) 382-4352.

Requesting Records

Access is given to sacramental data through official certificates. Direct viewing of the registers is not permitted due to privacy and preservation concerns.

Records dating back 90+ years are accessible to all researchers, provided the subject is deceased. Copies of records created within the last 90 years are only issued to:

• The individual of record or their power of attorney
• Parents/legal guardians of children under the age of 18
• Approved Church personnel

For more information, see our  Sacramental Records Policy.

To order a copy of your record, please use our online Sacramental Records Request Form.