Catholic...and Can't Prove It. Help!

[ALoveDivine]

I've come to a point in my life now where I want to join a local parish. I anticipate getting married without about a years time, maybe less, and I wish to have the wedding at this local parish. It will be necessary for me to be a member, which I should be anyway. Here's the problem:

I was raised Catholic, but have zero evidence of that. I was baptized as an infant but have no idea what parish that happened in. I distinctly remember catechism classes and receiving first communion but, again, I have no idea where that all took place.

My family is fragmented into a thousand pieces and none of them are practicing Catholics, or even Christians, and will be of no help in this. I really don't want to go through RCIA as I've already received first communion and was baptized into the church as a baby. Yet I am absolutely at a loss as to how to get any of this information.

I would need at bare minimum a baptismal certificate to get married in the local parish. I was rebaptized as a protestant out of ignorance of the sacrament, so I could get that certificate. Yet I would prefer the certificate of my original Catholic baptism. Any ideas on how to go about this? It seems utterly impossible to find any evidence of my Catholic upbringing, and it seems foolish to go through RCIA when I was raised in the faith.

 

[Fantine]

I wonder whether dioceses might have a central database of all the people who were baptized in the diocese each year, and what church they were baptized in. Obviously they didn't when I was born, but if you are a young person contemplating marriage, I bet that there are some centralized records somewhere.

 

[pdudgeon]

if you can remember what grade you were in at school at the time of your catechism, and the name, city , and state where the school is located
you've got a head start. even if you can remember the address where you lived at the time, you should be able to google that and get the zip code.

then all you have to do is google Catholic Church and type in the zip code (eg Catholic Church 12345) and it should come up with a name.

 

[Rhamiel]

can you just ask your mom or dad or older sibling if they remember what church you went to as a kid?
you said none of them practice now
but are you still on talking terms with them?

 

[MikeK]

What City and State did you live in when you were in 2nd grade?

 

[benedictaoo]

I had that problem... I knew I was baptized as a infant and at what Church but the Church had no record. all my siblings records were found but not me. For some reason my parents did not attend which might be why there was no record. Aunt and Uncle took me to be baptized, (don't ask, family drama over who was to be the God parent). Long story short, priest called bishop, bishop said as long as we have one of the God parents witness. We didn't get witness statement in time for Eater vigil so I was baptized conditionally and it was okay.

 

[Martinius]

The fact that you say you are baptized as an infant, which means you would have no memory of it, indicates that someone told you that you were baptized. Ask that person where. You can narrow the time to your infancy. Someone should be able to tell you where you were baptized and received first communion, or at least which city. If you have a birth certificate you will know your home address at birth. You were likely baptized at a church nearby. With what info you can gather about the places and times, the diocese should be able to find your records.

Also, you could check out any old family bibles; people often record this kind of info in them. Don't despair, with a little questioning and checking you should be able come up with the info you need.