What Are Sacramental Records?
In the Catholic Church, a sacrament is a special religious ceremony or rite that marks an important moment in a person's spiritual life. When someone receives a sacrament, the priest usually records it in a parish register. These handwritten entries are called sacramental records.
Sacramental records are important because they often contain the only written record of a person's birth, marriage, or death, especially in earlier times when government records were not yet in place or not applied equally to Indigenous people and rural communities.
Today, these records are used by families tracing their ancestors, researchers and genealogists, and First Nations communities working to reconnect with lost family or community histories.
Please remember: names in these records were often written phonetically (how the priest heard them), and the spelling may be very different from what is used today.
When a person (often a baby) is baptized, they are welcomed into the Church. The record usually includes the person's name, age, parents' names, godparents' names, the date and place of baptism, and the name of the priest.
When two people are married in the Catholic Church, the record usually lists their names, age, the date and place of the wedding, the names of witnesses, and sometimes the names of their parents.
When a Catholic person is buried with a church funeral, the priest may record the person's name, age, date of death, burial place, and occasionally the cause of death.
This sacrament is received after baptism, usually by older children or adults. The record includes the person's name, the date, and the name of the bishop or priest who performed it.
General FAQ
ProjectRECLAIM is built for anyone searching for family history connected to Catholic Church records in British Columbia, with a particular focus on First Nations and Métis families who may not have had easy access to these records before. Researchers, genealogists, and community organizations are also welcome to use the site.
There are several possible reasons:
- Not all records are online yet; transcription and verification is ongoing.
- The record may be from a region or parish not yet added to the database.
- The name may be spelled differently in the register. Try searching with alternate spellings or phonetic variations.
- Some records are covered by privacy laws or pastoral considerations.
We encourage you to contact us if you're searching for a relative and cannot find them.
Names in these records were recorded phonetically, written the way the priest heard them. Many priests spoke French as their first language and were not fluent in English or Indigenous languages. The same name might appear in three or four different spellings even on the same page. We recommend trying broad or flexible searches and looking at similar-sounding names.
Privacy laws in Canada protect the privacy rights of individuals. Two main acts govern how records are handled:
- Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA), which covers private and sensitive information collected by the Government
- Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), which covers private and sensitive information collected by companies, banks, schools, churches, and charities
Because of these laws, recent records may be restricted or hidden from public view. Generally, only older records (usually 100 or more years old) are shown online. You may need to request access for more recent information.
Archbishop Richard Smith has given special permission to share baptisms up to 1926, marriages up to 1926, and burials up to 1976.
If you believe a record should be restricted or have concerns about specific information, please contact us.
Canon Law is the set of laws and rules that govern the Catholic Church, covering everything from how sacraments are celebrated to how Church records are kept. See the official Canon Law index for reference.
Canon Law requires that:
- Sacramental records (like baptisms, marriages, and burials) must be carefully preserved by the Church
- These records belong to the Church, but individuals have a right to ask for access to their own sacramental information
- Privacy and confidentiality must be respected, especially for sensitive records
Canon Law is different from government law, but both are important when deciding how and when records can be shared. Church archivists work to balance Canon Law, civil law, and the need for reconciliation and access, especially for First Nations and Métis families seeking their histories.
The current pilot covers select regions of British Columbia, including the Fraser Valley, New Westminster, North Vancouver, the Diocese of Kamloops, and the Diocese of Victoria. We are starting with older sacramental records and expanding over time. See the About page for a full list of regions.
A diocese is an artificial geographic area created by the Catholic Church, similar to a district or region that includes many local churches, missions, and communities. Each diocese is led by a bishop who is responsible for the spiritual care of the people in that area. You can see the dioceses on the interactive map.
In British Columbia, there are five dioceses:
- The Archdiocese of Vancouver
- The Diocese of Victoria
- The Diocese of Kamloops
- The Diocese of Nelson
- The Diocese of Prince George
Each diocese keeps its own archival records, which may include baptism, marriage, and burial records, letters and reports, and historical information about missions and parishes. These records are often held in a diocesan archive, sometimes far from the community where the events originally took place (for example, the Diocese of Nelson Archives is now located in Kelowna).
At least two large photograph collections will be available shortly. Details will be posted as the collections are processed and made accessible. Check back regularly or leave your contact details if you'd like to be notified when new material is added.
ProjectRECLAIM is part of an ongoing effort toward truth and reconciliation between the Catholic Church and Indigenous Peoples. Many Church records were kept without the consent of the communities they document, and were written in ways that erased or ignored Indigenous identities. This project aims to make those records accessible to the communities they belong to, with care and respect.
We actively consult with Indigenous communities and community advisors to shape how records are presented, accessed, and protected.
Please use the Feedback Form to share corrections, concerns, or questions.
Yes. ProjectRECLAIM is an evolving project. New records are added regularly as transcription and verification work continues. More parishes, regions, and dioceses will be added as the project expands beyond the current pilot.
Yes. The British Columbia Archives has a searchable vital statistics database online that can sometimes be useful for finding relatives. However, it has significant limitations: First Nations, Catholics, French Canadian, and other ethnic groups are not well represented in these records.
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If you didn't find the answer you were looking for, please reach out. We especially encourage First Nations and Métis families to contact us; we want to help you find your history.
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