October 19, 1999
The Pious Pastors
of the Holy Diocese of Denver
Beloved in the Lord,
As most of you are aware by now, my office staff has computerized the Diocese Registry process, and I am now able to respond to your requests for Licenses to Marry and for Ecclesiastical Divorce Petitions in a much more timely and professional manner.
So that your local records and the Diocese Registry files can be maintained in an optimal manner, please note the following:
a. Baptism and Chrismation Certificates:
(1) Blank certificate forms are obtained from the Diocesan Office; these forms consist of an original and two self-duplicating sheets, and the original (top sheet) contains my signature.
(2) Once the Mysteries of Baptism and/or Chrismation are completed, the Priest issues the original certificate to the newly baptized/chrismated individual or to the parents of a child.
(3) The Priest should retain the second (first self-duplicating) sheet for local parish records.
(4) The Priest shall send the third (second self-duplicating) sheet to the Diocesan Office.
(5) If an error is made, and a certificate becomes unusable, the Priest shall simply write the word "VOID" in large letters across the certificate, and return all three copies to the Diocesan Office.
b. Affidavits for License to Marry:
(1) Blank affidavit forms are obtained from the Diocesan Office; this form consists of an original and one yellow, self-duplicating sheet. Blanks for supplemental Form 165 may also be obtained from the Diocesan Office.
(2) Once any necessary documentation has been gathered, the Priest sends the original (white) affidavit form to the Diocesan Office for processing.
(3) The Priest should retain the second (yellow self-duplicating) sheet for local parish records.
(4) I will issue the Episcopal License to Marry upon receipt of all proper documentation.
(5) Once the Mystery of Marriage is completed, the Priest shall complete the Episcopal License to Marry, and send it to the Diocesan Office.
(6) I will issue the Certificate of Marriage upon receipt of the completed Episcopal License to Marry.
c. Death Certificates:
(1) Blank Death Certificates are obtained from the Diocesan Office; this forms consist of a single sheet.
(2) Once a funeral has taken place, the Priest shall complete the Death Certificate, and send it to the Diocesan Office.
d. Ecclesiastical Divorces:
(1) All documentation concerning an Ecclesiastical Divorce should be completed in accordance with the guidelines issued by my office.
(2) All correspondence from the Priest must be on parish letterhead.
(3) No correspondence from the petitioner and respondent to the Ecclesiastical Divorce Tribunal may be on Church letterhead, but must either be on their own personal stationery or on plain paper.
(4) Pursuant to the determination of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal, I will send the Ecclesiastical Divorce to the Priest, who in turn will deliver it in person to the individual concerned.
The Priest should request a sufficient number of blank forms, and maintain these in a safe place for use. Since the Baptism and Chrismation Certificates have serialized numbers, an accounting of all forms received is required, thus any voided forms that might occur must be returned to the Diocesan Office.
It goes without saying that the Priest must record all Baptisms, Chrismations, Marriages and deaths in the appropriate parish registers.
Since I am obligated annually to submit a complete census of all Mysteries and Funerals celebrated in the Diocese, I ask you to return all completed certificates and licenses to my office as soon after they occur as possible.
Please remember that it is the Priest's responsibility alone to ensure that all records of a sacramental nature are maintained properly and are processed in a timely manner. Although a secretarial assistant may help in processing these forms, the Priest must exercise oversight and ensure that these matters are handled properly and correctly.
With Paternal Blessings,
+Metropolitan Isaiah
Presiding Hierarch
of
the Diocese of Denver