Archive Closed
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During 2008, the Archdiocesan Archives will be re-locating to the
new Pastoral Center (Braintree, MA). The Archdiocesan Archives will
be closed and all research services will be suspended during 2008. The Archives anticipates research services to resume later in 2009.
*URGENT
MESSAGE*
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Sacramental
Records needed for official purposes (i.e. upcoming
Marriages, Confirmation sponsorship, annulments, citizenship,
retirement, medical reasons, State/Federal ID’s, etc.) will be
temporarily unavailable starting June 1, 2008.
-
During the 2008
closure, Sacramental Records are not available for purposes of
genealogy/ family history and/or historical research. Sacramental
Records are only available for official purposes during the
2008 closure (except during June 1-August 4, 2008).
-
If Sacramental
Records are needed for official purposes between June 1, 2008
and August 4, 2008, all requests must be made to the Archdiocesan
Archives by May 23, 2008. Requests received after May 23, 2008 can
not be honored.
Please plan
accordingly.
-
To request a
Sacramental Record for official purposes, contact:
617-746-5797 (Leave your name, number, mailing address, and a brief
message. An official release form will be mailed to you.)
Genealogy
& Historical Researchers
-
As
of September 3, 2007, the Archives will no longer accept written
and/or telephone request for genealogy/ family history and/or
historical research.
-
Letters
post-marked after September 3, 2007 will be returned.
-
Appointments
to the Archives are not available.
-
Please contact
local city/town clerk(s) for civil birth, marriage, & death
records during the 2008 closure.
Archdiocesan
Administration
- All
services will be suspended from June 1 – August 4, 2008.
- Deadline
for transferring material to the Archives is May 23, 2008. Please
contact the Archives to make arrangements: 617-746-5797
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The new Code of Canon Law features several canons which mandate the
need for an Archives on both the parish and diocesan levels. Canon 486.2
states that "there is to be established in a safe place a diocesan archive...in
which the instruments and writings which refer to both the spiritual and
temporal affairs of the diocese, properly arranged and diligently secured,
are to be safeguarded." In keeping with this stipulation, and also the
1974 Document on Ecclesiastical Archives published by the National Conference
of Catholic Bishops, the Archdiocese of Boston has committed itself to the
operation of a professionally-managed Archives.
The Archdiocesan Archives exists to collect, preserve, and make available
all records of significant value which pertain to the Catholic Church in
Boston. It is regarded by many as a dependable resource for those interested
in the history and culture of Catholicism in Boston and New England as
a whole.
As a private institutional archives, our first duty is to the Archdiocese
of Boston -- the Archbishop and Chancery. Some records may have access
restrictions imposed by Canon Law and local policy. Accomodations can be
made for visits by historical and genealogical researchers, by appointment
only.
This Web Site is provided as a service to assist researchers in their
preliminary inquiries to the Archives. It is not a substitute for a visit
to the Archives, but will aid the researcher in determining the potential
success of a visit.
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