Kuwait Church Records

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Kuwait

Church Records

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

Online Resources and Websites

• British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Kuwait , index & images ($)
• British India Office Births & Baptisms, index
• British India Office Marriages, index ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Kuwait , index & images ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials at Findmypast - index & images ($)
• British India Office Deaths & Burials, index ($)

Historical Background

Christianity is a minority religion in Kuwait. Kuwait has a native Christian community, with a total population of between 200 and 400. In 2014, there were an estimated 259 Christian Kuwaitis residing in Kuwait. Kuwait is the only GCC country besides Bahrain to have a local Christian population who hold citizenship. Of the non-citizen population, there are an estimated 832,475 Christians (June 2018), or 18.24% of the population.

The government-recognized Christian churches include the Roman Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the National Evangelical Church Kuwait (Protestant), the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Greek Catholic (Melkite) Church, the Anglican Church, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There are also many Christian religious groups not officially recognized by the government with smaller populations, including the Indian Orthodox, Mar Thoma, and Seventh-day Adventist Church. Unrecognized groups are generally free to worship in private. There are also a number of believers in Christ from a Muslim background in the country, though many are not citizens. A 2015 study estimates that around 350 people in the country follow these beliefs.

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 FamilySearch Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:

a. Click on the records of Kuwait.

b. Click on Places within Kuwait 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 Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.

Anglican (Episcopal) Church Records

Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East (including Kuwait)

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Anglican (Episcopal) churches in Kuwait

Armenian Orthodox or Apostolic

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Armenian Orthodox or Apostolic churches in Kuwait

Coptic Orthodox Church

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Coptic Orthodox churches in Kuwait

Greek Orthodox Church Records

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Eastern Orthodox churches in Kuwait

Greek Melkite Catholic Church Records

Writing for Records

• Website

Historical Background

The Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Kuwait extends its jurisdiction over the Melkite Greek Catholic faithful Catholic in Kuwait. It comprises a single parish in Kuwait City, which had 800 baptized Melkite Catholics in 2005. From the second half of the twentieth century was formed in Kuwait a community of Melkite Greek Catholics, mostly Arab workers of the nearby region. The church service was assured, at least initially, by Latin apostolic vicars. It was governed as a Patriarchal Vicariate of Antioch.On 25 March 1972 the Patriarch Maximos V Hakim erected the Patriarchal Exarchate.

Indian Orthodox Church

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Indian Orthodox churches in Kuwait

Marthoma Church Records

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Marthoma churches in Kuwait

National Evangelical Church Kuwait (Protestant)

Writing for Records

• Website

Pentecostal Church Records

Writing to a Local Parish

• Google Maps search results for Pentecostal churches in Kuwait

Roman Catholic Church Records

Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia (including Kuwait)

Writing to a Local Parish

Earlier records can be held at the diocese, with more recent records still kept in the local parish. To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a diocese or local parish, consult:

• The Catholic Directory: Kuwait
• Google Maps search results for Catholic churches in Kuwait

Historical Background

The Catholic Church in Kuwait is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. There are over 140,000 Catholics in the country - representing about 6% of the population. There are no dioceses in the country, but Kuwait falls under the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia. There was a cathedral in Kuwait City dedicated to the Holy Family. However, this church lost its status as a cathedral after the apostolic vicariate moved its headquarters to Bahrain. The other parishes are St. Thérèse Parish, Salmiya and Our Lady of Arabia Parish, Ahmadi.

Syriac Church Records

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Syriac churches in Kuwait

Seventh-day Adventist Church Records

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Seventh-day Adventist churches in Kuwait