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A Guide for Writing a Parish History

A Guide for Writing a Parish History is a practical handbook to help parishes research, organize and write their own histories. It outlines how to gather documents and oral stories, ask good questions and shape a clear narrative that honours the life of the community.

The guide also offers project-planning advice, from first steps to publication, helping congregations record their past in ways that support present identity and future mission.

Suggested uses

  • Planning a parish history or anniversary publication
  • Organizing documents, photographs and archival records
  • Equipping volunteers to conduct interviews and gather stories
  • Using parish history in local teaching, formation or orientation

Key themes

  • Practical steps for researching parish history
  • Using archival and oral sources responsibly
  • Shaping a readable and accurate narrative
  • Connecting parish memory with ongoing mission

Best suited for: parishes, clergy, wardens, archival volunteers, local historians, diocesan staff and education or formation groups.

Cover of A Guide for Writing a Parish History

Acknowledging the land and God’s creation

This acknowledgement is crafted in light of the Principles of Reconciliation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, as we seek to live faithfully in Christ and in right relationship with all. 

We give thanks to the Creator for this land, its waters, forests and all living beings, and for the abiding presence of Christ among us. From coast to coast to coast, these have been cared for and nurtured by First Nations, Inuit and Métis through countless generations. 

We honour the enduring relationship Indigenous Peoples have cultivated with these lands and waters, and the treaties and agreements that reflect these sacred bonds. We acknowledge the harms caused by colonial expansion, through frameworks like the Doctrine of Discovery and structures like the residential school system. We recognize our past failures as a Church, including disruption of connections to the land and suppression of Indigenous spiritualities. 

Guided by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we confess our need for healing. We commit ourselves to seeking truth, pursuing reconciliation and nurturing harmony with all creation. We place our trust in Christ, through whom all things are reconciled to God. 

May God strengthen us to live faithfully as stewards of the Earth. Let us walk in love, justice and reconciliation, joining in God’s work to restore all creation.