Morocco Church Records

Morocco

Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Morocco , go to the Religious Records page.

Online Resources and Websites

• British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Morocco, index and images, ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Africa, index and images, ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Morocco , index and images, ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Africa, index and images, ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, index and images, ($)

Historical Background

The religious affiliation in the country was estimated by the Pew Forum in 2010 as 99% Muslim, with all remaining groups accounting for less than 1% of the population. Christians are estimated at 1% (380,000) of the Moroccan population. The predominantly Roman Catholic and Protestant foreign-resident Christian community consists of approximately 40,000 practicing members. Most foreign resident Christians reside in the Casablanca, Tangier, and Rabat urban areas.

Information Recorded in the Records

Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario):

Baptisms

In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

baptism date the infant's name parents' names father's occupation

status of legitimacy occasionally, names of grandparents names of witnesses or godparents, who may be relatives

birth date and place the family's place of residence death information, as an added note or signified by a cross

Marriages

Marriage registers can give:

the marriage date the names of the bride and groom indicate whether the bride and groom were single or widowed their ages

birth dates and places for the bride and groom their residences their occupations

birthplaces of the bride and groom parents' names (after 1800) the names of previous spouses and their death dates names of witnesses, who might be relatives.

Burials

Burial registers may give:

the name of the deceased the date and place of death or burial the deceased's age place of residence

cause of death the names of survivors, especially a widow or widower deceased's birth date and place parents' names, or at least the father's name

How to Find Records

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog

Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:

a. Click on the records of Morocco .

b. Click on Places within Morocco and a list of towns will appear.

c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.

d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.

e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. . The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

Writing for Records

You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. See French Letter Writing GuideLetter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.

Catholic Church Records

Writing to a Local Parish

To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a local parish, consult:

• The Catholic Directory: Morocco

Historical Background

There are around 50,000 Catholics in Morocco; most of them are European expatriates, with a big majority of French and Spanish from colonization and post-independence. The second group is composed of Sub-Saharan immigrants, mainly students. Aside from Arabic, all of the Europeans can speak Spanish and French, which are also spoken by Catholic Arabs, Berbers, and Moors, and these languages are used in the celebration of Mass, in prayer meetings, and in education. Catholics account for only about two-thirds of one tenth of a percent of the overall population of over 31 million. The country is divided into two archdioceses; Rabat and Tangier.

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