Palau Church Records

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

Online Resources and Websites

 * Palau, Church records, 1921-1940, Digital images of originals housed at the Richard Flores Taitano, University of Guam, Micronesia Area Research Center, Mangilao, Guam.

Historical Background
According to 2015 estimates 45.3% of the population is Roman Catholic (due to its shared colonial heritage with the Philippines), 6.9% Seventh-day Adventist, 34.9% other Protestant.

The German and Japanese occupations of Palau both subsidized missionaries to follow the Spanish. Germans sent Roman Catholic and Protestant, Japanese sent Shinto and Buddhist, and Spaniards sent Roman Catholic missionaries as they controlled Palau. Three quarters of the population are Christians (mainly Roman Catholics and Protestants), while Modekngei (a combination of Christianity, traditional Palauan religion and fortune telling) and the ancient Palauan religion are commonly observed. Japanese rule brought Mahayana Buddhism and Shinto to Palau, which were the majority religions among Japanese settlers. However, following Japan's World War II defeat, the remaining Japanese largely converted to Christianity.

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:

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 Palau.
 * b. Click on Places within Palau 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 Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.
 * Maps.me Church Listings for Palau
 * Google Maps search results for churches in Palau

Writing to a Local Parish
To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a local parish, consult:
 * Google Maps search results for Catholic churches in Palau

Historical Background
The Catholic Church in Palau is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. According to the last census (2000) 41.6% of the population belonged to the Catholic Church. Palau belongs to the Diocese of Caroline Islands, which is itself a suffragan to the Archdiocese of Agaña

On April 28, 1891, Spanish Capuchin missionaries arrived to start a permanent Catholic presence on the island. Wikipedia contributors, "Catholic Church in Palau", in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_in_Palau, accessed 7 April 2020.

Online Records
Online church information is available to current members, deceased members, and immediate family members who are still living. Sign in to FamilySearch and then select Family Tree in the drop-down menu.

Archives and Libraries
Copies of all records listed below are found at the Micronesia Area Research Center (MARC), University of Guam. Available online: Palau, Church records, 1921-1940

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Seventh-day Adventist churches in Palau