Blessing Certificate

I have to print a blessing certificate for a baby whose blessing ordinance has already been recorded. I can't find the recorded blessing in MLS, so I can't print the certificate. I also searched ldstech wiki and could not find what I need there.

Can someone tell me how to find and print the blessing certificate

maldwin wrote:I have to print a blessing certificate for a baby whose blessing ordinance has already been recorded. I can't find the recorded blessing in MLS, so I can't print the certificate. I also searched ldstech wiki and could not find what I need there.

Can someone tell me how to find and print the blessing certificate

Blessings are not stored permanently as part of the church record. It is only kept in the local MLS system where the blessing was entered. As soon as the record moves to another unit the information is lost.

However, if you know the details of the blessing you can easily print a certificate by selecting Membership, then Ordinances, and then Certificates on the menu. Then select Child Blessing Certificate, fill in the information, and print the new certificate.

Thank you. I have all the information necessary to print a new certificate and now I can get it done.

I have a similar problem. I have already created a record but recorded the wrong birthdate. I was able to edit this in LCR. When I went back to MLS to create a blessing certificate, MLS desires to create a new record. Does anyone know how to avoid this?

Davidduckwitz wrote:I have a similar problem. I have already created a record but recorded the wrong birthdate. I was able to edit this in LCR. When I went back to MLS to create a blessing certificate, MLS desires to create a new record. Does anyone know how to avoid this?

To just print a certificate in MLS select Membership > Ordinances > Certificates from the menu.

We have been unable to print baby blessing certificates for babies blessed by someone outside of our unit for several weeks. I have attempted using the Membership number and even the birth date information, and I get the same error. I even tried using someone else's information as the person who did the blessing, with no success. This is all using LCR.

Has a record been created for the child? You can't print a certificate until the membership record has been created. You also must have the membership record in your unit.

I had the same problem as above, trying to print a blessing certificate after one had already been printed. The standard answer seems to be "To just print a certificate in MLS select Membership > Ordinances > Certificates from the menu." But once I get into "Ordinances" there is no place such thing at "Certificates."

morrisparker wrote:I had the same problem as above, trying to print a blessing certificate after one had already been printed. The standard answer seems to be "To just print a certificate in MLS select Membership > Ordinances > Certificates from the menu." But once I get into "Ordinances" there is no place such thing at "Certificates."

If you're able to use LCR, and if the child's membership record has been created and is in your ward, you should be able to go to the child's member profile, click on the 'Ordinances' tab, and then click on 'Print Child Blessing Certificate'. IIUC, you'll need to enter the blessing date and name of the one who performed the blessing. I just tried it on a child whose blessing certificate I printed and gave to the parents a couple of months ago, and it appears LCR would have let me print another certificate.

Is there any way to do it for a child blessed in your ward who is now a member of another ward? The "Certificates" page won't let me do anything if the child isn't a current ward member.

braneof wrote:Is there any way to do it for a child blessed in your ward who is now a member of another ward? The "Certificates" page won't let me do anything if the child isn't a current ward member.

No, I don't believe it's possible anymore. In MLS you could fill in the information if you didn't have the record but that isn't possible in LCR.

I have followed the steps above, however, when I view/print the blessing certificate the blessing date is missing - even though I updated it.

braneof wrote:Is there any way to do it for a child blessed in your ward who is now a member of another ward? The "Certificates" page won't let me do anything if the child isn't a current ward member.

I'd like to know the same thing. Despite blessings "normally" being performed in the ward that the child is a member of record, in our unit they are frequently blessed out of state and need to have a blessing certificate printed in that unit for the correct unit and presiding authority to be displayed on the certificate. The only solution I can see right now would be to pull the record, print the certificate, and then send it right back. It would be great to have an option in LCR to print certificates when the record is not in your ward.

rmlds2000 wrote:Despite blessings "normally" being performed in the ward that the child is a member of record, in our unit they are frequently blessed out of state and need to have a blessing certificate printed in that unit for the correct unit and presiding authority to be displayed on the certificate.

I believe that the certificate should be printed in the home ward and signed by that bishop even if the actual blessing was performed elsewhere. That is the bishop who has stewardship over the child and who must give authorization for the blessing to occur. This is similar to ordinations and blessings where the the home ward must record the ordinance and print the certificate even if it occurred elsewhere.

I know that the practice used to be that the blessing would be recorded by the ward where it took place and then sent the record to the parent's ward. But the handbook has never been specific about which bishop should sign the certificate and given how LCR is now programmed, I think it indicates that the home ward bishop should be the one.

rmlds2000 wrote:The only solution I can see right now would be to pull the record, print the certificate, and then send it right back.

I'd never recommend doing that. It causes the membership record to have an incorrect history and means that the home ward must then put the child back into the correct household.

braneof wrote:Is there any way to do it for a child blessed in your ward who is now a member of another ward? The "Certificates" page won't let me do anything if the child isn't a current ward member.

No... The current ward will have to do it and the name of the current ward will show on the certificate.

I need a copy of the blessing certificate for my son [ ]. He was born [ ]. How do I get one? Carolyn Sappington

[Identity theft information deleted. This is a public forum.]

The ward where he currently lives would have to print the certificate, and it would contain the name of the current ward, as well. Blessing information is not normally kept in the membership record system. Based on the birth date you provided, it is unlikely he still lives in the ward where he was born.

lajackson wrote:The ward where he currently lives would have to print the certificate, and it would contain the name of the current ward, as well.

And signed by the current bishop. It may lack details such as who blessed him.

In short, it's unlikely to be a satisfactory replacement for historical value and all it would do is confirm that he was blessed.

Furthermore, because blessing is not a saving ordnance, for a time the church was not recording that information on the membership record. It's entirely possible the church has no record of his blessing from which to create even a basic certificate.

I just need the date of my blessing and who performed the blessing

goofygloria wrote:I just need the date of my blessing and who performed the blessing

Talk to your ward membership clerk.

He may or may not be able to get that information. Since blessings are not a saving ordnance, there was a time when they were not recorded in a way that stayed with the membership record.

goofygloria wrote:I just need the date of my blessing and who performed the blessing

AFAIK that information is not saved anywhere. The only thing the clerk can do is print a certificate if the date and person who performed is already known and provided by you.
Also the printed certificate will show the current Bishop, Ward and Stake and can't be changed.

klricks wrote:AFAIK that information is not saved anywhere.

Before the magstripe Temple Recommends were discontinued (1980s?), the date and by whom was recorded on the membership record (which back then was hard copy). I don't know if any of that information is visible to the current clerk, but it might be retrievable with a phone call.

MLS stored the information locally, but it was lost when the membership record was moved as it wasn't part of the data shared with SLC.

When LCR came along (from what I'm told), it also stored the information, but since LCR is a web apps, it's retained when the membership record is moved.

So, roughly speaking, if you were born within 1985-2005, that data was never recorded in SLC and has most likely been purged from the local ward. Someone else might have more exact dates.