Sacramental Requests

Obtaining Sacramental Certificates

THIS PAGE IS NOT FOR FAMILY HISTORY SEARCHES—PLEASE SEE OUR GENEALOGY RESEARCH REQUESTS PAGE FOR FAMILY HISTORY INFORMATION.
 

Where are Sacramental Records Held?
The Msgr. William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center is the repository for the sacramental records for many of the closed parishes in the Archdiocese of Newark comprising Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union Counties.

If the church in the Archdiocese of Newark is still open, you must contact that church to obtain your certificate. Please see the parish finder on the Archdiocesan website at http://rcan.org/parishes-map.

If the church where you received a sacrament has closed, it may have been merged with another parish, or the records may be housed at the Msgr. William Noé Field Archives and Special Collections Center. Please view this list of closed parishes to find the location of the records. If they are conserved at the Msgr. William Noé Field Archives and Special Collections Center, please follow the instructions below to request your certificate.

Authorized Recipients of Sacramental Records
Certificates can only be issued to:
(a) the individual requesting his/her own record
(b) the legal guardian of a minor child
(c) church personnel for sacramental purposes.

If you are conducting genealogy research please visit our Genealogy Research Requests page for information on that type of search. If you are requesting someone else’s record for a contemporary purpose, please call us at 973-761-9126.

Payment and Identification
There is a fee of $10.00 per certificate. If you wish to pay online by credit card, complete the Electronic Application for Sacramental Certificates. When you submit the form, you will be automatically redirected to our online payment site, Touchnet, where you can complete payment. If you would prefer to pay by check, use the Mail Application for Sacramental Certificates and enclose a check payable to “Seton Hall University Archives.”

YOU MUST SUBMIT A COPY OF YOUR DRIVERS LICENSE OR OTHER VALID, SIGNED PHOTO ID (front only) either as a digital file attached to the Electronic Application for Sacramental Certificates form or as a photocopy enclosed with the Mail Application for Sacramental Certificates form.

Processing Time
Please allow 7-10 days for certificates to be processed. A certificate will be mailed to you; it cannot be e-mailed or faxed because the raised seal that authenticates the document does not transmit electronically.

Those who are interested in obtaining sacramental certificates may obtain more information about our services by contacting the Archives at (973) 761-9476.

Electronic Application for Sacramental Certificates