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:

Marriages
Marriage registers can give:

Burials
Burial registers may give:

=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 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. FHL icons.png. 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 Guide 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.

=Protestant Church Records= Protestants in Morocco form a very small percentage of the total population. The largest Protestant denomination in the country is the Evangelical Church of Morocco (Eglise Evangélique au Maroc), which has links to the Reformed Church of France. Service de presse Common Ground cites unspecified sources that stated that about 5,000 Moroccans became Christians between 2005 and 2010. This is a list of Protestant denominations of Morocco.


 * Independent International (CIPC / TTC / MMC / RIC)
 * Assemblées de Dieu
 * Eglise Evangélique au Maroc
 * Eglise Emmanuele
 * Fréres Larges
 * Mission du Monde Arabe
 * Seventh-day Adventist Church
 * Union Evangélique Missionaire

Writing for Records
=Anglican Church Records=
 * Google Maps search results for churches in Morocco Notice that there are many more churches listed in the left drop-down list than there are shown with icons on the map.

Writing for Records
There are two permanent chaplaincies, one in Casablanca and one in Tangier. Small groups of Anglicans have worshiped together in Marrakech, but there is no Anglican Church established here.

The Anglican Church of Saint Andrew, Tangier has become a tourist attraction, partly due to certain well-known figures buried in its churchyard.The Anglican Church of St John the Evangelist, Casablanca, is centrally located, near to the Hyatt Regency, a landmark hotel in the city centre.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_Morocco

=References=