Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 AM – 5 PM
Call for information or appointment: 718-965-7300
For additional assistance regarding sacramental and student records from closed schools and parishes, please call 718-965-7300 or email archives@diobrook.org.
The Diocesan Archives contains nearly 8,000 cubic feet of records. Among the types of records found in the Archives are ledgers, correspondence, official documents of appointment of bishops, pastors and other officials, parish histories, parish anniversary journals, parish boundaries, diocesan directories, reports, promotional literature, marriage dispensation records, records of closed schools and parishes, deceased priest personnel files, financial records. Of particular note are histories of Catholic parishes in Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties, dating mainly from the 1880s to 1990s.
Largely paper based, the collections are strongest on parish, local history and closed school records. The Archives has custody of records of 25 closed diocesan or parish high schools and 127 closed parish elementary schools.
The bulk of the archival material dates from 1853 to 1994. From 1853 to 1957 the Brooklyn Diocese encompassed all of Long Island (Kings, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties.) Since 1957 with the creation of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, it has consisted only of Brooklyn (Kings County) and Queens.
Because the sacramental records of the diocese are not centralized, the Archives contains few sacramental records. It only has sacramental registers of 9 closed parishes, 3 closed hospitals and 2 orphanages. There are also several series pertaining to marriage dispensations (a relaxation of the normal requirements for Catholic marriages) from 1854 to 1964, which contain genealogical information. Genealogical research via written request only.
The visual materials are particularly strong in documenting churches, buildings, schools, clergy, religious ceremonies and ethnic celebrations. They include photographic negatives, black and white prints, color prints, slides, microfilm, audio tapes, videotapes, and blueprints.
Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens Archival Resources:
- Genealogical FAQs
- Chronological List of Brooklyn Parishes, 1822-2008
- Chronological List of Queens Parishes, 1843-2009
- Request a Sacramental Certificate
- Request a Relative’s School Record
- Request Your Own School Record
- List of Closed Schools at The Diocesan Archives
- List of Schools in Custody of Archives with Dates
Contact the Archivist