Sacramental Registers
Each parish is required to keep the following sacramental registers: Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage and Death (Canon 535). Besides the records prescribed in Canon Law, the Statutes of the Archdiocese of St. Louis require a register of First Communion.
Sacramental registers are permanent, historical records as church records and as legal documents. Care should be taken to purchase registers of quality care and binding. Use of the alphabetized list at the beginning of each register is also strongly encouraged. Although computerized files may be convenient for indexing needs, these are NEVER to be considered an acceptable substitute for the original handwritten registers. The original handwritten sacramental registers are to be kept permanently. They are never to be destroyed.
The pastor is responsible for proper maintenance of the registers. However, he may delegate the day-to-day administration of the records to a responsible person such as the parish secretary or business manager. (Canon 535) Recording sacramental entries should be done promptly and accurately. (Canon 877) Information should be entered neatly imprinted letters not cursive handwriting. A good quality pen should be used, preferably black ink. Do not use pencil, colored ink, or felt-tipped marker. Never repair the pages with scotch tape.
Sacramental records are confidential information. Registers should be kept in a safe secure place in the parish, and should not be removed, copied, or loaned without the approval of the chancellor of the diocese in conjuction with the Director of Archives. (When a parish is suppressed, the published suppression notice by the chancellor will direct the pastor to send the parish registers to the Archives and Records Office of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.) However, should a parish find themselves without sufficient and/or appropriate space to retain their older registers (those prior to 1930), they may make arrangments with the Director of Archives of the Archdiocese of St. Louis to have them maintained in a temperature and humidity safe environment in the Archives and Records Office at the Cardinal Rigali Center. They are not to be transferred to any other outside entities.
It is recommended that separate registers be purchased and maintained for mission churches, oratories and chapels. This is useful when these churches are raised to the status of parish or when care of a mission or chapel is transferred to a different parish.