Office of the Registrar

Parish Level

All records of baptisms, chrismations, weddings, divorces and funerals are maintained in the Parish Registry Books. The local parish priest detailing the information recorded in his parish’s Registry Books issues transcripts upon receiving a request from the individual involved. The priest who prepares them signs these transcripts. His hierarch then validates the authenticity of the priest’s signature. These transcripts can be used as needed and serve the same function as those original certificates issued at the time of the Sacrament. In the case of a Church Divorce Decree, however, duplicate copies are not issued. The original, as issued, must be submitted when applying for an ecclesiastical marriage license.

Metropolis Level

As of September 1, 1979, each Metropolis established a Registry Department, which processes marriage license requests, issues ecclesiastical licenses to marry, and maintains copies of the records for baptisms, chrismations, marriages, and funerals, as the parish priests following the Sacraments submit them. The Metropolis Registry Departments also maintain the petitions for divorces, the minutes of the Spiritual Court hearings that pertain to divorce petitions and copies of the divorce decrees issued. (Prior to September 1, 1979, the Archdiocesan Department of Registry did all of this for all the parishes of the Archdiocese. Since then, this is only done for the parishes within the Direct Archdiocesan District.)

Archdiocese Level

The Archdiocese Department of Registry maintains the records of weddings and divorces from 1923 until August 31, 1979, that took place throughout the Archdiocese. Since September 1, 1979, only those records that pertain to the parishes of the Direct Archdiocesan District are kept at the Archdiocese Registry Department. Records of baptisms, chrismations and funerals as the parish priests submitted them are also archived at the Archdiocese. 

The Office of the Registrar of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago is grateful to the Department of Registry of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America for their continuing support and guidance.