During 2008, the Archdiocesan Archives, together with other archdiocesan offices and agencies, will be relocating to the new Archdiocesan Pastoral Center in Braintree. The archives will be closed and all research services will be suspended temporarily during 2008. The archives anticipates research services to resume in 2009.

Please be advised of the following:

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 until at least Aug. 4.

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-Aug. 4, 2008).

For sacramental records needed for official purposes between June 1 and Aug. 4, all requests must be made to the Archdiocesan Archives by May 23. Requests received after May 23 cannot be honored.

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.)

Sacramental records needed for official purposes are expected to be available again starting Aug. 4.

Genealogy and historical researchers

Effective Sept. 3, 2007 the archives will no longer accept written and/or telephone requests for genealogy/family history and/or historical research.

Letters post-marked after Sept. 3, 2007 will be returned.

Appointments at the archives are not available.

Please contact local city/town clerk(s) or state archives for civil birth, marriage, and death records during the 2008 closure.

Archdiocesan administration

All services will be suspended from June 1-Aug. 4.

Deadline for transferring material to the archives is May 23. Please contact the archives to make arrangements at 617-746-5797.

From May 2 to Sept. 26, The Pilot staff will replace the “From the Archives” weekly column with a “Bicentennial Corner” featuring line drawings by Pilot illustrator, the late Deacon Gerard Rooney and brief biographies of figures of archdiocesan history written by the late George Ryan, also of The Pilot staff.