Belize Church Records

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

Online Resources and Websites

 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Belize, index and images, ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages,, index and images, ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, index and images, ($)

Historical Background
According to the 2010 census, 40.1% of Belizeans are Roman Catholics, 31.8% are Protestants (8.4% Pentecostal; 5.4% Adventist; 4.7% Anglican; 3.7% Mennonite; 3.6% Baptist; 2.9% Methodist; 2.8% Nazarene), 1.7% are Jehovah's Witnesses, 10.3% adhere to other religions (including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Bahá'ís, Rastafarians and other).In addition to Catholics, there has always been a large accompanying Protestant minority. It was brought by British, German, and other settlers to the British colony of British Honduras. From the beginning, it was largely Anglican and Mennonite in nature. The Protestant community in Belize experienced a large Pentecostal and Seventh-Day Adventist influx tied to the recent spread of various Evangelical Protestant denominations throughout Latin America. Geographically speaking, German Mennonites live mostly in the rural districts of Cayo and Orange Walk. The Greek Orthodox Church has a presence in Santa Elena.

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 Belize.
 * b. Click on Places within Belize 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.

Writing to a Local Parish
To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a local parish, consult:
 * The Catholic Directory: Belize

Historical Background
The Catholic Church in Belize is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. Bishops in Belize are members of the Antilles Episcopal Conference. Approximately 40% of the population of Belize is Catholic. The country comes under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Belize City-Belmopan.

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

Historical Background
Total Church Membership: 5,429. Congregations: 12. Missionary work opened in Belize on 5 May 1980, when President Samuel Flores of the Honduras Tegucigalpa Mission and Elder Robert Henke arrived to prepare for 10 additional missionaries coming the following day. On the day of their arrival, Elder Merlin Mikkelson was made president of a newly organized branch (a small congregation), and the first Sunday meeting was held 11 May, 1980. The Belize District was organized in 1983. Meetinghouses were completed in Orange Walk and San Ignacio in 1987. By 1987 some 1,000 members in seven branches comprised the Belize District. In 1990 the Honduras Tegucigalpa Mission was divided, and Belize was placed in the Honduras San Pedro Sula Mission. It is now part of the El Salvador San Salvador West/Belize Mission.

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Anglican churches in Belize

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Baptist churches in Belize

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Greek Orthodox churches in Belize

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Mennonite churches in Belize

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Methodist churches in Belize

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Nazarene churches in Belize

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Pentecostal churches in Belize

Writing for Records

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