The Archives has microfilm backups of some sacramental registers for parishes within the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Vancouver. In order to obtain a copy of your sacramental certificate you must contact the parish where the sacrament took place.
If you were baptized in the Dioceses of Kamloops, Nelson, Prince George, or Victoria you will need to contact the Chancery Office in these Dioceses in order to initiate a search.
Under British Columbian privacy legislation, information about sacramental records can only be given to the person whose name is on the record, the parent, or legal guardian of a youth under the age of 18, or if written consent for the release of the information has been given.
Sacramental records are only available to the public after these times:
- Baptisms after 100 years
- Confirmations after 100 years
- Marriages after 75 years
- Burials after 20 years
Inactive Parishes
We have the records for the following defunct/inactive parishes:
- Notre Dame de la Paix (New Westminster)
- St. Margaret’s Parish (Ocean Falls)
- St. Mary’s Parish (Mission)
For all other inactive parishes you will need to contact the neighboring active parish or in the case of any defunct military chapels you will need to contact the Military Ordinariate of Canada.
Location of other parish/mission records:
- Spanish Catholic Mission- please contact Our Lady of Sorrows (Vancouver)
- Vietnamese Catholic Mission – please contact St. Joseph Parish (Vancouver)
- 103 Korean Martyrs – please contact St. Andrew Kim Parish (Surrey)
- St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish – please contact St. Mark Parish (Vancouver)
Birth and Death Certificates
The Archives does not provide birth or death certificates. Requests for birth or death certificates must be made to the Vital Statistics Agency. Access is restricted under provincial Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy legislation to the following:
- Birth registrations after 120 years
- Marriage registrations after 75 years
- Death registrations after 20 years
School Records
Requests for information about Catholic schools administered by the Archdiocese of Vancouver can be made to the Vancouver Catholic School Board at 604-683-9331.
If you are not able to locate your record after using the above searches, please submit a request to the Archives here.