Genealogy and Catholicism
Catholics are people who believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God. Catholicism shares some beliefs with other Christian practices, but also has its own beliefs. Catholics believe in the existence of the Holy Trinity – one God in three persons.
From a religious standpoint, Catholics are aware of two different versions of the genealogy of Christ that are found in the bible. There has been much study about these two versions, and those who are interested can find explanations about how the two are similar, how they are different, and why that is so.
St. Matthew’s genealogy of Christ breaks the generations into three series of fourteen people each. The first series starts with Abraham and ends with Jesus as the last name listed on the third series.
St. Luke’s genealogy of Christ breaks the generations into four series. The first series, second series, and fourth series have 21 people each. The third series has 14 people. St. Luke’s genealogy of Christ starts with Jesus and ends with God (who is listed at the end of the fourth series).
Archives.com points Catholic genealogists who are working on their family trees to what to look for when researching Roman Catholic church records. Look for sacramental records.
Sacramental records can often be found in local churches. Baptism records list the date of the baptism, the child’s full name, parent’s names (including mother’s maiden name) name of godparents and a signature of the priest.
Catholic marriage records can have a wealth of information. It will have the name of the bride (including maiden name), name of the groom, names of two witnesses and name of the priest. A Catholic marriage record might also list the place where the bride and groom were born, their occupations, their parents names (including mother’s maiden name), their parent’s occupations, and where their parents lived.
Catholics can also find out more about their ancestors by looking at records of other sacraments. First Communion is usually done when a child is 7 years old. Other resources include documents from Confirmation, Reconciliation, and Last Rites (also called Anointing of the Sick). If your ancestor was a priest or deacon, you might be able to find a Holy Orders document.
Those who have Catholic ancestors who lived in England may want to look for Catholic recusants records. The 1559 Act of Uniformity imposed fines on people who failed to attend Church of England services.
Related Articles at FamilyTree.com:
* Genealogy and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
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